BBC Sport · Jun 11, 2024
Raducanu beats Shibahara in opening Nottingham win
Image caption, Emma Raducanu played her first WTA match at Nottingham in 2021Emma Raducanu defied a late wobble to get her grass-court season off to a winning start with a straight sets victory over Japan's Ena Shibahara at the Nottingham Open.
Playing her first match since April, having opted to skip the French Open to focus on her fitness, the 21-year-old Briton beat Shibahara 6-1 6-4.
It came 713 days after her last appearance on grass, having had wrist and ankle surgeries in 2023 that ruled her out of Wimbledon.
"It's been quite a few weeks since I last played a competitive match so I didn't really know how it would go," said Raducanu.
"I think my intentions were great from the start."