Watch: Emma Raducanu signs autograph on fan's arm after Citi Open 1R win
Emma Raducanu marked her Citi Open debut with a win on Tuesday. She celebrated the occasion by signing a few autographs - one of them on a fan's arm.
The reigning US Open champion continued from where she left off in North America last year, coasting to a straight-sets win over American qualifier Louisa Chirico.
Seeded second at the Citi Open, the 19-year-old Raducanu made short work of World No. 216 Chirico, coasting to the second round for the loss of just six games in 88 minutes. Following her win, Raducanu was all too happy to engage fans who had stayed on for the last match of the day.
Here's a video of Raducanu signing her autograph on a fan's arm.
Only in DC 👀
@EmmaRaducanu loves #CitiOpen fans so much she’ll sign anything, even your arm! 💙 https://t.co/dmzTeM2chE
Raducanu will next meet Colombia's Camila Osorio for a place in the Citi Open quarterfinals.
"Feels really good to get a win here in D.C." - Emma Raducanu
Emma Raducanu has had an underwhelming 2022 campaign, winning only nine of her 21 matches. She shot to overnight superstardom with a fairy-tale triumph at the US Open last year - becoming the first qualifier - male or female - to win a Major in the Open Era.
Coming off a second-round loss at Wimbledon, Raducanu meant business against Chirico. She had a solid outing on the night, winning 76% of her first and second serve points, getting broken just once and breaking her opponent four times.
Raducanu had a chance to go 4-0 up in the first before her opponent drew level at 3-3. After engineering the decisive break at 4-4 to serve out the set, she reeled off the final five games of the match to move into the next round.
A rad DC debut ✨
No.2 seed @EmmaRaducanu rolls past Chirico in straight sets!
#CitiOpen https://t.co/DTioI3Lr5g
At her post-match press conference, the 19-year-old expressed her ecstasy at kicking off her Citi campaign with a win and staying calm in key moments.
"Definitely feels really good to get a win here in D.C.," Raducanu said. And after not playing for quite a bit after Wimbledon or many matches at all this year, I think it's a really nice feeling just to get on the board. I think playing any first round is always pretty challenging. Then when you're not necessarily that match-sharp, small things you don't necessarily get right, it's just important to stay calm."
The World No. 10 will now look to continue her winning ways in the next match as she seeks her second quarterfinal of the season (also Stuttgart, lost to Iga Swiatek).