Italian Open: French Open preparations continue as Emma Raducanu and Cameron Norrie advance in Rome, Katie Boulter falls at first hurdle

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Emma Raducanu and Cameron Norrie sealed their respective spots in the second round of the Italian Open with victories on Wednesday, while British women's No. 1 Katie Boulter crashed out of the tournament. Raducanu, who is without new part-time coach Mark Petchey for the tournament in Rome, was embroiled in a tight match with Australian teenager Maya Joint, prevailing over three sets.

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Emma Raducanu edged a fierce battle with 19-year-old Maya Joint to seal her spot in the second round of the Italian Open.

The British No. 2, who is without the guidance of new part-time coach Mark Petchey in Rome due to his television commitments, endured a gruelling workout in preparation for the French Open later this month, eventually prevailing 7-5 6-7(1) 6-3 over two hours and 46 minutes.

Raducanu looked set for a more straightforward passage to the second round at 5-4 up in the second set, serving with a 30:15 lead. The 22-year-old, however, spurned her service game, and Joint forced a tie-break, which she took in convincing style with five consecutive points.

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The 2021 US Open champion, though, rallied to secure two consecutive breaks in the third set, romping into a 5-0 lead, before sealing the back-and-forth clash to set up a meeting with Ekaterina Alexandrova.

"Maya played so aggressive," Raducanu told Sky Sports. "Every time I dropped the ball slightly short, she was all over it. I found it so hard.

"This morning there was rain and a wait and a delay. I actually went to the Trevi Fountain but I didn’t make a wish.

"It’s hard getting psyched up in the locker room when you have been on a day off until 18:00."

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Katie Boulter, meanwhile, was sent out of the competition with a straight-set first-round defeat to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

The British No. 1 claimed just one break across the 6-3 6-3 loss in a largely dominant performance from Pavlyuchenkova.

Boulter has struggled to make a deep run in any tournament so far in her 2025 campaign, and will now turn her attentions to Roland-Garros in the hope of bettering her first-round exit last year.

Elsewhere, Cameron Norrie set up an enticing second-round clash with Daniil Medvedev after cruising past Christopher O'Connell 6-3 6-2.

Resilient on serve, O'Connell failed to break Norrie throughout the 77 minutes they were on court in Rome, setting up a testing second-round clash for the Brit.

"I was sharp, I didn't give him much and I played some physical tennis," Norrie said. "I was just really happy I turned that energy around."

Norrie's compatriot, Jacob Fearnley, will get his Italian Open campaign underway on Thursday against Fabio Fognini, continuing his emergence on the ATP scene following a stunning breakthrough at the Australian Open in January.

Watch and stream the 2025 tennis season, including the French Open, on TNT Sports and discovery+

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