Adam Zampa hit a milestone as Australia reached the Super 8s of the T20 World Cup with a resounding nine-wicket thrashing of Namibia.
Leg-spinner Zampa took 4-12 to reach a century of wickets in the shortest format, as Namibia were bowled out for just 72 in 17 overs in Antigua.
Australia needed just 34 balls to surpass that total, with Travis Head's unbeaten 34 from 17 deliveries propelling them to a comprehensive win.
David Warner (20) was the only Australian to lose his wicket, with captain Mitchell Marsh (18 not out) hitting the winning runs.
Australia are now top of Group B ahead of facing surprise package Scotland on Sunday.
Tuesday's other match, between Sri Lanka and Nepal, was called off due to rain without a ball having been bowled.
The abandonment of that match in Florida means that Sri Lanka's hopes of qualifying for the next round are all but over.
Sri Lanka are bottom of Group D with just one match left to play, against the Netherlands on Monday.
Data Debrief: Zampa makes history
Zampa is the first Australian to reach the century landmark for wickets in T20Is, while his 12 runs conceded against Namibia is the joint-lowest total of any player for Australia from a full four overs in a T20 World Cup match.
Gerhard Erasmus was the only player to impress for Namibia. He scored 36 runs, 50 per cent of his team's total.
That is the highest proportion of any batter in a Namibia T20 World Cup innings.
Kyrie Irving accepted the blame for the Dallas Mavericks being 2-0 down to the Boston Celtics and vowed to do "whatever it takes" to turn things around.
The Mavs lost 107-89 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals and followed that up with a 105-98 defeat on Sunday to leave themselves with a mountain to climb.
Luka Doncic felt his performance cost his side in the most recent of those encounters, despite finishing with 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
By comparison, fellow superstar Irving registered 16 points, two rebounds and six assists in almost the exact same number of minutes on the court.
And Irving admits it is now on him to step up in Game 3 at American Airlines Center on Wednesday if the Mavs are to drag themselves back into the series.
Asked about a conversation he was seen having with Doncic, Irving said: "It started with me just telling my [brother] I got to play better for him, alongside him.
"In order for us to accomplish our goal, we both have to be playing well and we both have to be doing the little things, doing whatever it takes to win.
"It was an easy conversation. But it started with me reaching out, just letting him know it's my fault, taking accountability for not playing particularly well."
Irving has so far averaged 14 points in the two games with the Celtics, which is down on the 22.8 points he averaged per game in the playoffs.
"First thing of that is just accepting that I haven't played well or up to my standards, as well as I would have liked," Irving said.
"Being back in Boston, there's such a level of desire that I have inside of me to play well. I wanted to be there for my teammates. As a competitor, it's frustrating.
"But I don't want to let that seep in or spill over to any other decisions I have to make there as a player."
Irving has lost 12 straight games against the Celtics, whom he left in 2019, but Boston coach Joe Mazzulla is aware of what the eight-time NBA All-Star is capable of.
"It's not about shutting him down," Mazzulla said ahead of Game 3. "It's about making it difficult for him because of his ability to impact plays. We just have to fight for that.
"He's got some good looks. I think we have to guard him better. I think he's definitely going to be more aggressive."
West Indies have enjoyed somewhat of a storming start to their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaign, but it’s safe to say those victories over minnows Papua New Guinea and Uganda were always expected.
Though a bit shaky in a five-wicket win over Papua New Guinea in their Group C opener, West Indies backed that victory up with a convincing 134-run beating of newcomers Uganda. However, the Caribbean side will be hopeful of a better second half to the group stages, as they now have New Zealand to contend with, and Afghanistan to follow.
With four points already to their credit and New Zealand yet to get on the board, the Darren Sammy-coached West Indies is targeting another win, which would guarantee them a spot in the Super Eight, and basically eliminate the Black Caps.
A record crowd is anticipated for the encounter, scheduled to play under lights at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, in Trinidad and Tobago, on Wednesday.
While acknowledging that it will be an exciting challenge, West Indies captain Rovman Powell believes it is also an opportunity for his team to showcase the class and form that they have enjoyed over the past 15 months.
During that time, the now number-four ranked West Indies registered 2-1, 3-2 and 3-2 series wins over South Africa, India and England respectively, before losing 1-2 to Australia. Prior to the World Cup they swept South Africa 3-0 at Sabina Park.
"We are pretty confident; the boys been playing some very good cricket, and we know New Zealand will pose different challenge from our first two opponents. But having said that, once we just focus on ourselves and play good cricket, we should be okay,” Powell told journalists at a pre-game press conference on Tuesday.
"If you should look on the last year, the last twelve or 14 months, West Indies have played very good T20 cricket. So it's just a continuation of us doing that, even though it's a World Cup, the guys have done a lot of hard work coming into this World Cup, so hopefully we can show that hard work. It's two of the more traditional nations, Afghanistan and New Zealand, but I think once we focus on ourselves, we should be okay,” he added.
Given that New Zealand succumbed to a heavy 84-run defeat to Afghanistan, in a contest where they were bowled out for 75 runs, Powell said it signals some semblance of vulnerability in the opponents’ form and, as such, he and his team are looking to capitalise.
"If there's a good time to play New Zealand, I think it's definitely now. They're a little bit undercooked and the pressure is really on them because this game decides whether they go on or not. But, we're not focusing on New Zealand, we're focusing on what we have to do, and once we do what we have to do, then that will take care of itself,” Powell noted.
That said, the Jamaican once again declared their intentions to possibly secure an unprecedented third T20 World Cup title. West Indies won the 2012 and 2016 tournaments in Sri Lanka and India, and Powell is optimistic that they can now secure a title home soil, a feat he said would mean more to cricket in the region that just one more trophy.
“When you look on the benefits of playing a World Cup at home for West Indies cricket, it's an enormous benefit. If we should go on and win the World Cup, it would make us the first team to win a T20 World Cup at home. From a financial standpoint, it (hosting) boosts West Indies cricket economy, and is beneficial for so much different islands to be getting international cricket of such good standards, so that in itself is a beneficial factor,” Powell reasoned.
“For us as players, it's an opportunity for us to cement our space in West Indies cricket folklore, and winning a World Cup on home soil, not just myself as captain, but all the guys, will be remembered for such achievement.
"But those expectations are on the back of us playing good T20 cricket, which has resulted in us being ranked number four in the world now, and it's for us to continue to manage those expectations. I think the guys have done that, we are at home, so obviously expectations and pressure is always there, but it's just for us to keep on playing good cricket and keep on entertaining the fans,” he ended.
St Kitts and Nevis, Guyana, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic registered a maiden win in their respective Concacaf World Cup Qualifying campaign, as they brought the curtains down on second round action, on Tuesday.
Five players scored twice for their respective teams, including Guyana’s Deon Moore, Dominican Republic’s Rafael Mata and Dorny Romero, and Puerto Rico’s Jeremy de Leon and Wilfredo Rivera.
St Lucia vs Aruba
St Lucia and Aruba were the only teams that failed to separate themselves, as they played out a 2-2 scoreline in Group C at Wildey Turf in Bridgetown, Barbados.
Aruba got the perfect start they desired, when Walter Bennett headed home from close range to gift them a 22nd-minute lead, before Isai Marselia added a second from the penalty spot in the 43rd minute.
However, Ridel Stanislas (45+2) cut the deficit for St Lucia with a tidy finish from deep inside the 18-yard box, to make it 2-1 at the break.
Peter Pearson then pulled St Lucia level in the 66th minute to secure a share of the spoils.
With this, their first point of the campaign, St Lucia and Aruba occupy third and fourth positions in the group behind Curaçao and Haiti, on six points each, heading into the break.
St Kitts and Nevis vs Bahamas
St Kitts and Nevis edged Bahamas, 1-0, in Group B at Warner Park in Basseterre.
Ethan Bristow found the all-important goal in the 12th minute when he pounced on a rebound.
With the win, The Sugar Boyz inched up to third in the group, behind Costa Rica (six points) and Trinidad and Tobago (four points).
Guyana vs Belize
Guyana proved too strong for Belize with a 3-1 victory in Group D action at Wildey Turf in Bridgetown, Barbados.
After playing out a goalless first half, Deon Moore finished off an Omari Glasgow pass in the 66th minute to put Guyana ahead.
The Golden Jaguars doubled the lead a minute later courtesy of Liam Gordon’s dazzling solo effort which he finished off with a close range effort.
Moore completed his brace in the 71st with a flick of the ball inside the box to redirect Nathan Moriah-Welsh’s pass.
However, Carlos Bernardez pulled one back for Belize in the 88th, as he rose above defenders to head home Jahryl Smith’s weighted cross.
The win moved the Golden Jaguars up to third place in the group, behind Nicaragua and Panama, on six points each.
Puerto Rico players celebrate a goal.
Dominican Republic vs British Virgin Islands
Dominican Republic bounced back from their defeat to Jamaica, as the blanked British Virgin Islands 4-0 in Group E at the Estadio Panamericano in San Cristobal.
In a frantic start to the contest, Rafael Mata finished with aplomb in the second minute to give the host a perfect start.
Dorny Romero converted a penalty in the 14th to make it 2-0, before Mata struck again in the 31st with a delightful shot from a distance to put the game beyond British Virgin Islands reach.
But, Dominican Republic were not done yet, and Romero also completed his brace with a tidy finish in the 90+3.
Despite the win, Dominican Republic remained third place in the group, behind Guatemala and Jamaica, on six points each.
Puerto Rico vs Anguilla
Puerto Rico registered the widest victory margin on the day, as they mauled Anguilla 8-0 in a lopsided Group F encounter, at the Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium in Bayamon.
Jeremy de Leon put the host in from with a 21st-minute penalty conversion, and Roberto Ydrach (31st) doubled the lead 10 minutes later with a shot from a distance.
Anguilla had an opportunity to pull one back from the penalty spot but Joel Serrano, in goal for Puerto Rico, came up big to deny the 36th minute effort.
From there, it was all Puerto Rico, as Wilfredo Rivera rifled from the top of the 18-yard box in the 48th, before de Leon, with some nippy footwork, added his second with an easy finish in the 51st.
Leandro Antonetti added his name to the scoresheet in the 58th, while Rivera pounced on a loose ball and fired home in the 65th.
Dominican Republic’s seventh came courtesy of Darren Rios’s 71st –minute header, and Nicolas Cardona capped the win in the 90th.
With the win, Puerto Rico moved to second place on four points, behind leaders Suriname on six points.
Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 25th home run and Austin Wells had a three-run shot as the New York Yankees cruised to a 10-1 rout of the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night.
Giancarlo Stanton also homered for the AL-best Yankees, who have won seven straight on the road and 11 of 13 overall.
Back in the lineup after he was rested in Monday’s series opener, Judge had a run-scoring single in the first inning and his 446-foot home run in the seventh – a two-run shot - gave him 62 RBIs, tied with Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez for the major league lead.
Since the beginning of May, Judge is 51 for 127 (.402) with 19 home runs, 44 RBIs and 40 runs in 37 games for a 1.506 OPS.
The Yankees improved to 39-4 when Judge and Stanton homer in the same game, including playoffs, and are 16-1 against the AL Central this season.
Marcus Stroman pitched four-hit ball over 5 2/3 scoreless innings to win his fourth consecutive decision.
Freddy Fermin homered for the Royals, who dropped their third in a row and are 3-12 in their last 15 meetings with New York.
Mateo lifts surging Orioles over Braves
Jorge Mateo hit a three-run homer in his return to the lineup and Albert Suarez worked into the sixth inning to lead the Baltimore Orioles to their fifth straight victory, 4-0 over the Atlanta Braves.
Mateo, reinstated from the concussion injured list before the game, hit a drive into the Baltimore bullpen in the second inning off Max Fried after Anthony Santander walked, and Austin Hays singled for one of his three hits.
Suarez allowed four hits over 5 1/3 innings with three walks and four strikeouts. Four relievers finished up the five-hitter with Dillon Tate fanning two in the ninth.
Baltimore matched its longest winning streak of the season and sent Atlanta to its season high-tying fourth consecutive loss.
The Braves went 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners on base.
Dodgers hit 4 home runs in one inning in rout
Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez and Jason Heyward all homered during a seven-run sixth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers pounded the Texas Rangers, 15-2.
Mookie Betts’ three-run double in the fourth gave the Dodgers a 6-1 lead and Gavin Lux’s RBI single an inning later made it 7-1.
Ohtani hit his 16th home run with one out in the sixth after Betts walked and Freeman followed with his ninth of the season. After Will Smith singled, Hernandez connected for his fifth home run in five games. Andy Pages singled after Grant Anderson got the second out and Heyward’s blast pushed the lead to 14-1.
Rangers catcher Andrew Knizner pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
Smith had a three-run homer in the first inning and finished with three hits for the Dodgers, who last had four home runs in an inning on Sept. 29, 2021, against San Diego.
Defending World Series champion Texas lost its fifth in seven games.
England have never boasted stronger competition for places than at the upcoming Euro 2024 tournament, according to Three Lions winger Anthony Gordon.
The Newcastle United forward will feature at his first major tournament with Gareth Southgate's senior side, who start their campaign against Serbia on Sunday.
Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Jarrod Bowen and Eberechi Eze are all other wide options as Southgate prepares to choose between a wealth of attacking riches on the wings.
Gordon believes England have rarely enjoyed such a depth of talent, heading into the tournament in Germany where they are seen as favourites alongside France.
"A few people have said it where the squad has never been so competitive in terms of everyone is in form and everyone has come here in a really good place," he said.
"There is definitely competition for places. Everyone is going to be at their best to try and play."
Manchester City defender John Stones offered cause for concern after an injury during Friday's surprise 1-0 defeat against Iceland, though was involved in training ahead of England's opener in Gelsenkirchen.
Luke Shaw also featured in the pre-tournament session but the Manchester United full-back will be managed closely as his recovery from a hamstring issue continues.
"I was a bit worried when [Stones] went down [against Iceland] because he's such a big player for us but he's fine," Gordon added. "He's got an elite mentality, so I've had faith in him.
"[Shaw] is back in training now and doing really well. I did a bit of my rehab with him and he was way far ahead of schedule. He was doing great, which is good."
Southgate hit the headlines on Monday after suggesting the European Championship marked his "last chance" as England manager.
Yet Gordon hopes the England boss continues his tenure past when his current contract is due to end in December.
"From a selfish point I would want him to stay," he continued. "I love working with him and his staff.
"From my youth journey with England, the way they have transitioned the whole set-up from youth to senior level has been absolutely amazing and I don't think they get the credit he deserves."
Barcelona dismissing Xavi after the head coach initially reversed his decision and seemed set to stay came as a shock to some, no more so than Blaugrana winger Lamine Yamal.
The LaLiga giants were expected to part ways with former midfielder Xavi at the end of the season, only for the Spaniard to change his mind and opt to fulfil his contract with the club.
Yet in another unexpected turn of events, Xavi was given his marching orders as Barca president Joan Laporta acted swiftly to bring in former Germany and Bayern Munich head coach Hansi Flick.
As Yamal prepares for the upcoming Euro 2024 tournament with Spain in Germany, the Barca forward admitted Xavi's sacking raised a few eyebrows.
"It was a very strange moment," the teenager told Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo. "At first he left, then he stayed...
"It was strange, because we saw the same thing that you saw too.
"[It was] very sad because for me he was the first coach in the elite that I've had, but these are things that happen in football."
Though Yamal remains surprised by the decision, the Spain attacker is "excited" to link-up with new boss Flick when the 2024-25 season comes around.
"The last thing I saw was when he was at Bayern, and also in the German national team," he added.
"They have a fairly offensive game, quite direct. I'm very excited."
Barcelona fell short in their LaLiga title defence as Real Madrid roared to the Spanish crown, as well as Champions League glory for the dominant Los Blancos.
Yet Yamal believes the Blaugrana can compete with any side on their day.
"We struggled this season, scoring a goal and adding another before going into the second half and suddenly having two goals scored against us," he continued.
"That's the only thing we have to improve, because I think we can compete with any team in the world."
Erik ten Hag is set to stay at Manchester United after surviving a review over his future, according to widespread reports.
United stunned neighbours Manchester City in the FA Cup final, winning 2-1 last month at Wembley, but a second trophy in two seasons was not expected to be enough for Ten Hag to keep his job.
The Red Devils finished eighth in the Premier League this season, with that being their lowest-ever finish in the competition.
An underwhelming league campaign saw speculation grow over the former Ajax head coach's future, though reports on Tuesday claim Ten Hag is set to remain in charge at Old Trafford.
United are said to have concluded their review of the 2023-24 season and started negotiations on a contract extension with Ten Hag, whose current deal ends at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.
Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel, Kieran McKenna and Gareth Southgate were all linked with the United job before the club committed to their future with Ten Hag.
Netherlands midfielder Teun Koopmeiners was expected to star for his country at Euro 2024, but instead is left rueing a "nightmare" injury that has ruled him out of the tournament.
Koopmeiners was an integral figure as Atalanta secured their first-ever European trophy this term, beating Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa Conference League final last month.
With Ronald Koeman already missing Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong for the upcoming tournament in Germany, the Netherlands boss was dealt another blow on Tuesday.
Koopmeiners took to Instagram to confirm his absence for UEFA's 17th edition of their flagship competition after his injury in Monday's warm-up victory over Iceland.
"What should have been a wonderful month has unfortunately turned into a nightmare," wrote Koopmeiners.
"With great disappointment and sadness, I heard the results of the tests. Unfortunately, they found I have no possibility of participating in the European Championship 2024.
"Playing for the Dutch team at a finals tournament and with such a great squad would have been a great honour.
"From now on, like the rest of the Oranje fans, I will encourage and support the team on their way to a great tournament!"
Koopmeiners, a reported target of Juventus and Liverpool, has appeared 21 times for his country as Oranje supporters grew hopes of a fearsome partnership with De Jong in midfield.
Atalanta team-mate Marten de Roon has already been ruled out through injury, leaving Koeman short on options in the middle of the pitch.
In response to the absence of the two players, Koeman has called up Borussia Dortmund loanee Ian Maatsen, who returns after initially failing to make the Netherlands' final Euro squad.
The Netherlands open their campaign against Poland on Sunday before facing France and Austria in Germany.
Jon Rahm has withdrawn from the US Open due to a troublesome foot injury, just two days before the tournament starts in North Carolina.
The Spaniard arrived at Pinehurst's famed Number Two course wearing one shoe on his right foot and a flip-flop on his left after a cut between his toes turned into an infection.
"It is doing better, but the pain is high," said the 29-year-old at his pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday.
Yet the world number eight, who won the US Open title in 2021, confirmed his withdrawal later in the day.
"After consulting with numerous doctors and my team, I have decided it is best for my long-term health, to withdraw from this week's US Open Championship," Rahm wrote on social media.
"To say I'm disappointed is a massive understatement!
"I wish all my peers the best of luck and want to thank all of the USGA staff, volunteers and community of Pinehurst for hosting and putting on what I'm sure will be an amazing championship!
"Hopefully I'll be back in action sooner than later!"
Rahm has not won since making the move to LIV Golf from the PGA Tour last December, while the 29-year-old shared 45th at this year's Masters and missed the cut at last month's PGA Championship.
The two-time major winner had previously finished inside the top 25 in his last five outings at the US Open.
Travis Kelce has no intentions of making this upcoming NFL season his last, though acknowledged the end is nearer than the beginning of his illustrious career.
The Kansas City Chiefs star is a three-time Super Bowl champion, defeating the San Francisco 49ers for his most recent crown last season.
With preparations already underway for the 2024 campaign, the 34-year-old – a nine-time Pro Bowler – understandably has the future on his mind.
Yet Kelce has no doubts over his ambitions this year, signalling that there is still life in his ageing career with the Chiefs.
"I love coming to work every single day and doing this, so I am going to do it until the wheels fall off and hopefully that doesn't happen anytime soon," Kelce said after the Chiefs' practice on Tuesday.
"I can't put a time frame on it, man. I know that there are opportunities outside of football for me and I think you've got to keep in perspective that I'm still a little kid when I come into this building.
"I know I'm 34 years old, about to be 35, but I have a love to do this right here in the middle of the heat in June."
Kelce's relationship with global superstar singer Taylor Swift has drawn unprecedented media attention off the field, while he has shown interest in acting after his career ends.
Hosting a podcast with his brother Jason, another former NFL star, Kelce has multiple options when he chooses to call time on his playing days.
"I do take the offseason to get away and kind of recharge, but at the same time, I'm a football player," Kelce added.
"I love playing in the NFL and this will always be my main focus, but outside of that, football ends for everybody, so kind of dipping your toes in the water and seeing what you like in different areas in different career fields, I think the offseason is the best chance you can get."
As for on the field, the Chiefs added two tight ends this year with veteran Irv Smith Jr. and draft pick Jared Wiley.
Noah Gray, their fourth-leading receiver last season, is also back, suggesting Kansas coach Andy Reid is keen to manage Kelce's workload.
"It's my job to make sure that Coach Reid has full confidence in me whenever he needs me out on that field or whenever I'm out on that field," Kelce said.
"As much as I want to be out there every single play, I understand that it's for the better of the team when I'm not.
"I'm more comfortable with that right now because of the guys that we have in the room. We've got a lot of great tight ends in the building and it's fun seeing them have success as well."
Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice on his international return as Portugal completed their Euro 2024 preparations with a 3-0 victory over Republic of Ireland in Aveiro.
Roberto Martinez's side were 2-1 losers against fellow European Championship hopefuls Croatia on Saturday but responded three days later with a convincing victory at Aveiro Municipal Stadium.
Joao Felix opened the scoring after just 18 minutes, while Ronaldo was denied by the woodwork in a one-sided first half against John O'Shea's visitors on Tuesday.
Ronaldo would not be stopped after the interval, though, curling in a fine 50th-minute strike before adding a second soon after in a dominant win, just a week before Portugal's Euro 2024 opener against Czechia.
Data Debrief: Ronaldo stars again
Ronaldo stole the headlines with his 129th and 130th goals for his country, having already broken the Saudi Pro League's single-season scoring record in the campaign just gone.
The Portugal talisman was at his brilliant best here, scoring twice from just 0.49 expected goals (xG) – his personal tally marginally higher than the 0.48 xG for O'Shea's lacklustre side.
Steve Clarke hopes to take Scotland into the knockout stages of a major tournament for the first time at Euro 2024, with their target simply four points to progress.
Scotland have failed in their previous 11 attempts across the World Cup and European Championship to make it past the group stages.
Hosts Germany await in the Group A opener for Clarke's side on Friday before clashes with Switzerland and Hungary.
With the top two sides progressing, as well as four of the best third-placed finishers, Clarke made his ambitions clear for the upcoming UEFA tournament.
"The bottom line is we need four points to come out the group, that guarantees that you'll come out of the group almost forever," Clarke told BBC Sport.
"That always happens. Three points and a zero goal difference would probably get out of the group so that's what we have to look at – every game in isolation, make sure that we're competitive in every game and realistically you go into the last game with a chance to qualify.
"Hopefully, we've done it before that with the points tally from the first two games but if we get to the last game like we did in the last tournament, we had to go to Wembley, we had to get at least a point against England, we gave ourselves a chance going into the Croatia game.
"Okay, we didn't quite get over the line but at one each in the Croatia game you've got a chance, you've always got that hope, that expectation that you might do it."
Scotland will appear at their fourth European Championship, after 1992, 1996 and 2020, having failed to reach the knockout stages in each of those tournaments.
Clarke's side have just two wins in the finals of the tournament's history, against CIS in 1992 and Switzerland in 1996, and have not found the net in six of their nine matches.
The Scotland manager will become just the third to lead his nation to consecutive international tournaments, along with Andy Roxburgh (1990 World Cup, Euro 92) and Craig Brown (Euro 96, 1998 World Cup).
His message to the players is clear: take it to the last game.
Clarke added: "We play against Hungary in the last game, that's where we want to be – in a similar situation where we know we can get a result and we can qualify."
As for Scotland's starting line-up in Munich, captain Andy Robertson and Lawrence Shankland returned to training in Garmisch-Partenkirchen on Tuesday.
"I've probably got two in my mind that I'm still mulling over and we'll work on that in the next couple of days," Clarke concluded.
Emma Raducanu felt like she was playing "two v one" as the Briton criticised umpire Ana Carvalho following her Nottingham Open first-round victory over Ena Shibahara.
The former US Open champion, who opted to miss the French Open to focus on preparing for the grass-court season, overcame the Japanese 6-1 6-4 in her first match since losing to Maria Lourdes Carla at the Madrid Open in April.
It was also Raducanu's first win on surface since the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, having missed last year's grass-court season after undergoing wrist and ankle surgery that, at one point, left her confined to a mobility scooter.
Although, the 21-year-old was left unhappy with several questionable decisions by umpire Carvalho, suggesting some of the calls were deliberately made in order to extend the contest.
It comes just 24 hours after fellow Briton Harriet Dart slammed "pretty appalling" officiating during her defeat to Katie Boulter in Nottingham, where electronic line-calling technology is not in use.
Nevertheless, Raducanu was pleased to eventually prevail and book her place in the second round.
"I feel like I was playing two v one on court, it was insane," said Raducanu. "I would have used probably at least four challenges!
"I think a lot of the time they go both ways. Today, I felt they were all against me, but it just makes me feel better that I managed to beat her and the umpire as well.
"It is difficult when there is no challenge, but it is something everyone has to deal with. You can be fortunate in some ways. Maybe it was just trying to make the match more competitive.
"It's something I had to deal with and overcome. I am very pleased with the attitude I came out with from the get-go and also having to deal with the adversity.
"I haven't played in a match for a while. Playing someone who comes through qualifying and is used to the conditions, I am very pleased to have won that match."
The world number 209 was also thrilled to get a win under her belt on home soil, and set up a last-16 clash with Ukrainian Daria Snigur, who defeated second seed Marta Kostyuk.
"An element of me forgot what it was like to play at home and have that support behind me, and it is amazing," she added. "It's a great feeling.
"I am very lucky to have great support wherever I play, but it's not quite like coming and playing in the UK. It's something that me and all the Brits cherish and look forward to every year."
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