Emma Raducanu dedicates win to father after fighting past Polona Hercog at Transylvania Open
The teenager stressed the significance of winning in ‘my dad’s country’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Emma Raducanu has said her first-round victory over Polona Hercog at the Transylvania Open had extra significance because it took place in “my dad’s country”.
Raducanu, whose father is Romanian, fought from a set down to beat her Slovenian opponent 4-6 7-5 6-1 on Tuesday.
It marked the 18-year-old’s first victory since her US Open triumph in September, and sets up a showdown between the British No 1 and Ana Bogdan – herself a Romanian.
“This means a lot to play in my dad’s country,” Raducanu said after beating Hercog, per the BBC. “It feels like a huge win.
“It is a shame there aren’t fans here, but I hope they were watching and I just wanted to do them proud.
“I was on a losing streak, so I am really pleased to have come through that. It’s my first win [since the US Open], I knew that in my head, so I was battling really hard to get on the board.
“I am really proud of how I fought. That is a big learning thing for me. The key was to try to stay mentally composed. I knew I wasn’t playing very well, so I just needed to keep going one point at a time and giving myself a chance by holding serve.”
Raducanu takes on Bogdan on Thursday, with a place in the quarter-finals of the Transylvania Open on the line.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments