Emma Raducanu beat Ena Shibahara 6-1, 6-2 on Sunday to advance to the second round of the US Open 2025. It was her first win at the US Open since winning the title four years ago.
The 22-year-old needed just 62 minutes to dispatch the qualifier Shibahara and advance to the second round in New York.
"I’m very, very pleased to have won that match. It’s my first win here since 2021 so it’s extra special. First rounds are always difficult, and especially so in slam, you know, there are nerves. So, I’m just so happy with the way I came through that, and playing Ena, she’s really tricky," Raducanu said after the match.
"She obviously came through qualifying, and you feel like you have a bit of an advantage having been playing on the surface, and I know what that feels like. So, I’m just very pleased with how I managed myself and managed my game through that match," she added.
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After defeating Shibahara, Raducanu improved her record to 3-1 against qualifiers in her Grand Slam career, with the lone loss coming to Lulu Sun in the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2024. She has won seven out of 10 sets played in those matches.
In-form Emma Raducanu starts with a dominant win! pic.twitter.com/xkEh7O6CVv
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 24, 2025
In the second round, Raducanu will face the winner of the first-round match between Janice Tjen and Veronika Kudermetova. Tjen, a qualifier, advanced to the main draw with three straight-set wins, while Kudermetova enters as the No. 24 seed.
Raducanu leads the head-to-head 1-0 against Kudermetova, following a win over the Russian on clay in Rome earlier this year. She has yet to face Tjen in her career.
