Emma Raducanu will face one of the toughest challenges in tennis after setting up a French Open second‑round match against the four-time champion Iga Swiatek.
Despite arriving in Paris preoccupied by her recovery from the back spasms she had experienced days earlier, Raducanu demonstrated her mental toughness in a gritty 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 win against Wang Xinyu of China, the world No 43. Swiatek, who is attempting to win an open era‑record fourth consecutive women’s singles championship at Roland Garros, began her title defence with a 6-3, 6-3 win against Rebecca Sramkova.
“I think it’s a match for me where I can really test and challenge myself,” Raducanu said. “I think exposure to the top players is great for where I’m at for my development. I think especially on clay, it’s her preferred tournament probably [and] surface. She’s won it four times.
“It’s a match where I can go out and test really just myself and go for my shots, because I know if I just push the ball, I’m probably going to get eaten. I need to hit the ball. I’m looking forward to that challenge.”
One year after a dire French Open for British tennis players when they failed to win a single match, the group enjoyed an excellent start to the 2025 edition with three victories. Jacob Fearnley, who has enjoyed a stellar rise after transitioning to the professional circuit from college 11 months ago, marked his French Open debut with a confident 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-2 win against the 2015 champion, Stan Wawrinka.
Katie Boulter, the British No 1, then ended the day with a 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-1 win against the qualifier Carole Monnet, which was also her first main draw win at the French Open. Jodie Burrage was the only British player to lose, beaten 7-6 (1), 6-4 by Danielle Collins.
Raducanu was unsure how her body would hold up after her back flared up during her defeat against Collins at the Strasbourg Open last Wednesday. Although the British No 2 looked strong early on against Wang, it soon became clear that she was feeling ill. At 6-5 she called for the physio and doctor. She spent much of her medical timeout dabbing ice around her face while having her blood pressure and heart rate checked. Despite holding to secure the first set, the match had shifted and she quickly found herself down 1-5 in the second set. But Raducanu pulled herself together, playing excellent attacking tennis to close out the match.
“I’m actually really proud of today’s match, more so than I think a lot of the matches that I played recently or in general, because I woke up and I felt really sick, to be honest,” Raducanu said. “I felt bad from the morning. I was just trying and fighting through that.”
In the past few months there has been a significant shift in Raducanu’s approach to the sport. Off the court, she has tried to find more balance and enjoyment in her life as opposed to the more regimented schedules that other players follow. On court, she has come closer to finding her identity by pairing her offensive mentality with greater variation. Her forehand, in particular, has improved and she is looking to run around her trusty backhand and dictate with it. Against Wang, Raducanu struggled with her backhand in the first half of the match but she struck her forehand superbly.
Perhaps the most satisfying aspect of the British players’ performances on Monday is that they reflect their positive clay court seasons. Until last month, Fearnley had not stepped on clay for eight years but he has performed extremely well with minimal experience on the surface, beating numerous top‑100 players, including his first career top‑20 win against Tomas Machac at the Madrid Open. Fearnley was favoured to defeat Wawrinka, who is now 40 years old, ranked No 138 and 10 years removed from his incredible triumph in Paris. Managing his nerves before an adversarial French crowd, however, made this an even greater challenge for Fearnley.
“I knew it was going to be a tough match,” Fearnley said. “It’s difficult, for sure, playing in front of the crowd always screaming his name. Yeah, it’s not easy. I really enjoyed it, to be honest.
“I think part of the battle was just not letting that kind of get to my head and not letting his name and his calibre of tennis get into my head. Just focus on myself really.”
Boulter, meanwhile, celebrated her first career title on clay a week before Roland Garros, winning the WTA 125 event in Paris. Although this will never be her best surface, she continues to grow more comfortable on the red dirt with every victory.
