Elina Svitolina fought back from a set down to beat Emma Raducanu 6-7 (5) 7-6 (3) 6-1 on her return from injury in the second round of the ASB Classic in Auckland.
The former British world number one defeated Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the first round – following operations on both her wrists and ankle – and took a first-set lead over the second seed before Svitolina fought back to take victory and advance into the third round.
She will face Marie Bouzkova in the quarter-finals of the tournament as she continues preparations for the upcoming Australian Open.
Raducanu looked like she would ease into a one-set lead when she went 5-1 ahead, but a determined Svitolina fought back to force an unlikely tie-break where Raducanu would eventually get the job done.
The Ukrainian broke Raducanu early in the second set as she looked the level matters but the 2021 US Open champion broke back and her service game was immaculate as the game entered a tie-break for a second time.
The Brit broke Svitolina twice early in the tie-break to gain the upper hand but the world number 25 refused to be beaten as she fought back with six straight points to eventually take the game into a deciding set.
The final set proved too much for the 21-year-old as she was broken early in the third and Svitolina took control of proceedings by winning the next three games before heading into a 5-0 lead.
Raducanu dodged the bagel with a hold of serve in the sixth but Svitolina soon after wrapped up a comfortable win.
After the game, Svitolina said on court: “It was a great match from both of us. Emma played a great match and it was really difficult, physically.
“I hope I will recover for tomorrow, be ready and you guys can give me some support.
“Two great matches and now against Emma, they played really well. I am happy with the way I handled pressure moments and just a really great way to start the year.”
Osaka beats Kostyuk for landmark win at Italian Open
Naomi Osaka recorded her first win over a top-20 opponent on clay at the Italian Open on Thursday, posting an impressive 6-3 6-2 victory against Marta Kostyuk to reach the third round.
Having opened her first Italian Open campaign since 2021 with a straight-sets win over Clara Burel on Wednesday, Osaka produced another slick performance to down the world number 20 one day later.
Osaka blitzed Kostyuk to take the opener in just 36 minutes, taking advantage of a sloppy start from the Ukrainian, who served at just 40 per cent in the first set and tallied 15 unforced errors.
The former world number one then forced a break within three games in the second set, only for rain to halt proceedings after she went 3-1 up.
She showed no signs of rustiness upon returning to the court, though, even responding to a late loss of serve with an immediate break back to tee up a third-round clash with 10th seed Daria Kasatkina.
Data Debrief: First for Osaka on least favourite surface
Osaka has never considered herself a clay-court specialist, failing to reach a single tour-level final on the surface throughout her career.
Ahead of Thursday's match, she was 0-8 on clay against opponents in the top 20 of the WTA rankings. However, a routine victory should give her hope of repeating the feat against Kasatkina next time out.
Nadal fights back to win opener in Rome
Rafael Nadal fought back from a slow start to defeat Belgian qualifier Zizou Bergs 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in his opening match at the Italian Open.
Nadal endured a poor first set, losing five of the last six games, but turned things around in impressive style, spending two hours and 47 minutes on the court on Thursday.
The 10-time Italian Open champion saved all five break points he faced in the second and third sets to take key points and earn a seventh win of the season.
Nadal is competing in his third consecutive tour-level event after missing most of last year due to a hip injury that required surgery before his comeback was halted by a muscle tear in January.
"That was not my best match, I was practising better than I played today, but I found a way to win," he said after the match.
"That’s so important at the beginning of the tournament. My game is more unpredictable than before. I didn’t play much tennis for the last two years, so have some ups and downs, on and off, but I think I can do much better than today and I hope to do it next round."
The Spaniard will face seventh-seeded Hubert Hurkacz in the second round.
Data Debrief:
Nadal had only lost one of his previous 18 opening-round matches in Rome before Thursday and avoided adding to that tally in his final appearance at the tournament.
He has the most wins at the Foro Italico (70), where he first claimed the title on his debut in 2005.
Osaka makes winning return at Italian Open
Naomi Osaka claimed a straight sets victory over Clara Burel in the first round of the Italian Open.
Making her first appearance in Rome since 2021, former world number one Osaka prevailed 7-6 (7-2) 6-1 on Wednesday, marking her first win over a top-50 opponent on clay since she defeated Victoria Azarenka at Roland Garros in 2019.
Osaka, who is now ranked 173rd in the world by the WTA, will face Marta Kostyuk in the second round.
She previously faced Kostyuk in the 2020 US Open, en route to winning her third major title.
Data Debrief: Back with a bang
Osaka reached the quarter-finals of the Italian Open in 2019, but did not win a game in 2021 and has not appeared at any other edition since then.
That means the 26-year-old won her first match at the event since she beat Mihaela Buzarnescu in 2019 (1,819 days ago). She wrapped up the win in one hour and 24 minutes, finishing with 27 winners, including eight aces.
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