Watch: Emma Raducanu loses break point to a ball boy in a lighthearted exhibition match that involved a marriage proposal
Emma Raducanu is undoubtedly the success story of the year. Having jumped from World No. 338 to World No. 19 in a span of just four months, she’s now only the fifth British woman ever to reach the top 20 in the WTA rankings.
In a homecoming exhibition match, the 19-year-old faced Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania at a packed Royal Albert Hall in London. The atmosphere was electrifying as the crowd welcomed their young Grand Slam-winning champion for the first time since her great run at the 2021 Wimbledon in July.
I had an amazing time playing my great friend Gabi at such an iconic venue. The atmosphere was incredible and it felt so good playing at home again🥰 https://t.co/riR6hOJJbR
Even though the match ended in straight-sets 6-3, 7-6(3) in Raducanu's favor, it was filled with amusing moments, beginning with a marriage proposal from a young fan who shouted, "Emma will you marry me?," during a tense moment in the first set.
Later, when it looked like Raducanu was sailing towards a comfortable 6-1 win in the opening set, Ruse handed her racket to a ball boy and asked him to take her place on the court to receive Raducanu’s serve.
This is amazing 😂🙌
When the ball boy gets the break against Emma Raducanu! 👏👏
📺📲 Live NOW on @BBCiPlayer, Red Button and the @BBCSport website and app
👉 bbc.in/3D156lW https://t.co/uITcuVk78L
In a sudden turn of events, the US Open champion lost that game to the ball boy, losing a break point and tumbling down from a 30-40 lead to settle at 5-2. Raducanu was forced to play two more games before finishing the first set 6-3.
Towards the end of the match, which involved a lot of back and forth chatter from both players, Ruse joked, "I'm not going to be friends with you anymore," reacting to a splendid winner that Raducanu had smashed past her.
"Honour to play at such an iconic venue": Emma Raducanu
Speaking to the press about her first match at the Royal Albert Hall, the teenage superstar called it an "iconic venue" and recalled a fond memory.
Raducanu said, "It's such an iconic venue. When I was 6 years old I came and watched the singles matches here and all I wanted to see was Mansour Bahrami hold five balls in his hand at once."
The Champions of Tennis exhibition event is officially a part of the ATP Champions Tour — a series of tournaments designed primarily to offer fans a chance to see former professionals and popular current players in action.
So delighted that @usopen Champion @emmaraducanu joined in the fun this weekend. What a special way to round up our time at the @royalalberthall 🇬🇧🎾 #tennis #atpchampionstour #usopen #sports instagram.com/p/CW26sYyhkpq/…
The event is set to relocate to a new venue next year. Raducanu and Ruse were joined by Greg Rusedski, trick-shot specialist Mansour Bahrami, former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanišević, former world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, Spain's David Ferrer, 2006 Australian Open runner-up Marcos Baghdatis, and former doubles number four player Radek Štěpánek for the final showdown at the Royal Albert Hall.
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