Emma Raducanu registers her first win with a clean set against her counterpart Enna Shibahara. Shibahara had to face a humiliating defeat of 6-1, 6-2 in a span of just one hour and this was yet again a magical performance of Raducanu on the court especially with the new partnership that she had with Francisco Roig and this was the first test which they have clearly surpassed amazingly and the audience were in awe of the Raducanu magic yet again. A lot of speculations in the news articles about the match being competitive were being dismissed by Raducanu on the court itself as it eventually turned out to be a one-man show and a clear indication that this is just a start and there is yet more to come from the magical duo.

A Reality Check for Shibahara

The shades of rivalry were seen more on paper than on the field. This was a shocker for Shibahara as she was doing quite well in the singles circuit previously, and everyone had expected a tough fight, but the opposite happened, and she might take time to recover from this crushing defeat. Although Shibahara had said in a pre-match interview that she wants to test herself against a seasoned player like Raducanu, who also represents the younger wave of tennis stars who are determined to reclaim dominance on the hard courts of New York. Well, this is the trajectory of the sports that often your idol may be against you playing, and you might lose against them, and well, clearly, this can be one such case.

Raducanu Fever as Her New Self Shines

Raducanu once again clearly proved who's the boss in the court, and with Roig, there were a few changes in her game, which include the sharper edges, quicker decision making, which helped her today, especially, and a more aggressive nature in terms of positioning in the court. Francisco Roig, who also guided Rafael Nadal, the nine-time Grand Slam winner, and quite a well-known face in the tennis circuit. The influence of the newman was quite evident in Raducanu's performance today at the Louis Armstrong Stadium, and she has focused on the finishing points in the net. Raducanu had pinned Shibhara behind the baseline and closed down her attempts to disrupt rhythm with variety.

This victory shows that Raducanu might have gotten the missing piece in the form of Roig, which is the push for her another Grand Slam win. There was a budding tension in the match where Shibhara was in a desperate attempt to prove herself in the singles circuit as one of the elites, whereas Raducanu was poised to prove her resurgence under Roig's mentorship. The undercurrent of the rivalry experience versus momentum is how the match can be described today.