Emma Raducanu wins in Romania, Cameron Norrie loses in Austria

3 years ago 106

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Emma Raducanu hits a return in her Transylvania Open second-round match against Ana Bogdan

Britain's Emma Raducanu produced a composed display to beat Romania's Ana Bogdan in straight sets and reach the Transylvania Open quarter-finals.

The US Open champion backed up her opening win in Cluj-Napoca - a first at tour level - with a 6-3 6-4 victory.

Third seed Raducanu, 18, will face 19-year-old Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk next.

Meanwhile, British men's number one Cameron Norrie spurned three match points in losing to Canadian sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in Vienna.

Norrie was within touching distance of the quarter-finals, only for Auger-Aliassime to recover and eventually win 2-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-4.

Raducanu enjoying home comforts in Romania

In the country where her father Ian was born, and where her grandmother stills lives, Raducanu has started to look at home in what is still only her fourth WTA tournament.

Despite having already won a Grand Slam and reached the fourth round at Wimbledon, earning regular victories at tour-level events is the next important stage of the British number one's development.

No fans have been allowed in the stadium to watch the matches because of rising coronavirus rates, but Raducanu says she has received plenty of warm support on the streets of Cluj-Napoca.

After a gritty win against Slovenia's Polona Hercog on Tuesday, that backing has perhaps helped, with the Briton looking relaxed and exuding confidence on her way to convincingly beating the 106th-ranked Bogdan.

"It is definitely taking me some time to find my feet still, I'm taking some learning from every match I play," said Raducanu.

"I'm not the finished product yet."

There were odd moments of concern, however, starting when Raducanu faced three break points in the opening game.

A trio of first serves saved them and Raducanu broke immediately in the next game, allowing her to take control of the first set.

Another early break put her in command of the second set, although any thoughts of completing a straightforward success were dashed by Bogdan breaking back for 2-2.

A third game in a row edged the Romanian ahead, only for Raducanu to respond maturely again.

Winning the next three - including a 12-minute game to break again for 4-3 - was another example of her ability to problem solve and the teenager clinically ended the contest in impressive fashion.

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