Emma Raducanu wins first US Open match since 2021 in complete mismatch

Emma Raducanu won her first match at the US Open since her 2021 triumph by breezing past a Japanese qualifier in windy conditions.

The British No.1 raced into a 5-0 lead against world No.130 Ena Shibahara. And the world No.36 wrapped up her win 6-1 6-2 in only 62 minutes in her first Grand Slam match with new coach Francis Roig. All her 11 wins here have been in straight sets as the most famous qualifier in tennis history beat the Japanese star who had also come through qualifying without dropping a set in impressive style.

Raducanu, 22, declared she felt Flushing Meadows was her "happy place" after struggling in her previous two appearances here as a former champion.

The Bromley-based star, then world No.11, had lost in straight sets to Alize Cornet in the same Louis Armstrong Stadium to end her title defence in the first round in 2022.

And after missing 2023 following surgeries, rusty Raducanu lost to fellow Grand Slam champion Sofia Kenin in three sets on Grandstand.

But red-clad Raducanu, who has twice played well against world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka this summer, had no such problems against the world No.130.

Shibahara had only won one Grand Slam main draw singles match before - here last year - and had never beaten a top-50 player in six previous attempts. And this first round mismatch showed why.

Starting at 11am local time in the first Sunday start in New York, Raducanu was the first of eight British players in the US Open singles

She held her opening service game to love and immediately broke when the nervous Japanese hit a weak forehand into the net. And Raducanu made the double break to lead 4-0 when Shibahara, who won only three points in her first two service games, found the net with a backhand.

The world No.130 avoided a first-set bagel by claiming her first game after 22 minutes with a forehand winner.

But Raducanu wrapped up the set four minutes later when she retrieved a net cord and then put away an overhead.

The first game of the second set saw the British No.1 take her fourth break point when Shibahara hit a forehand long.

The qualifier held her serve again with another forehand winner to trail 1-4. And Raducanu saved the first and only break point in the next game before wrapping up the match when Shibahara made her 36th unforced error.

Raducanu will play the winner of the match between Russian No.24 seed Veronika Kudermetova and Indonesian qualifier Janice Tjen in the second round.