Emma Raducanu feels "very, very happy" after first WTA Tour victory, says she's "really proud" of the fight she showed in 1R win against Hercog
Emma Raducanu scored her first WTA main draw win on Tuesday as she battled past Polona Hercog in the opening round of the 2021 Transylvania Open.
All of the Brit's previous wins had come at Grand Slam tournaments, and Raducanu looked determined to change that. The youngster showed incredible fighting skills to come back after losing the opening set, eventually prevailing 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 after two hours and 27 minutes.
During her post-match press conference, Raducanu said winning her first WTA match made her "very, very happy."
"It feels like a huge win, to be honest," Raducanu said. "It’s actually my first WTA [event main-draw] win, which makes me very, very happy."
Raducanu, who hasn't played a lot of tennis since lifting her maiden Grand Slam trophy at the US Open, said the key for her was to stay composed.
The youngster said she gave herself a chance to stay in the match by consistently holding serve in the second set and pounced on her opportunity when it came her way. The Brit added that she was "proud" of the way she fought against an experienced opponent in Hercog.
"I think the key was to try and stay mentally composed," Raducanu said. "I just needed to keep going one point at a time.
"And I thought that if I kept giving myself the chance by holding serve, then maybe my tennis would improve and fall into place a bit better, and it did," she added. "So I’m really proud of myself with how I fought today."
super happy to get my first ever WTA win today.
Multumesc mult si 🇷🇴 , te iubesc ☺️ https://t.co/bwh6jFwyK3
"Polona’s a great opponent so I really had to fight hard" - Emma Raducanu on 1r win
Raducanu also heaped praise on Polona Hercog, describing her as a "great opponent." The youngster said she needed to "fight hard" against the experienced Slovenian, adding that her game improved as the match progressed.
"Polona’s a great opponent, and she’s really experienced, so I really had to fight hard to pull that one through," Raducanu said.
"I thought that by the end of the third set, I was playing some better tennis," she continued. "And the most important thing was I earned another opportunity to go and play better in my next round."
Raducanu's second-round opponent will be home favorite Ana Bogdan, who beat Serbia's Ivana Jorovic 7-6(1), 6-4.