Emma Raducanu made an amazing return to beat Caroline Garcia of France and tie the match 1-1 between Great Britain and France in Le Portel for the Billie Jean King Cup qualifier.
Britain was down 2-0 and almost certain to lose when Raducanu fell behind in the second set to the world number 23 Garcia, who was in great form. Katie Boulter had already been beaten 6-2, 6-0 by Diane Parry.
But Raducanu, who had been hurt for two years and was finally back with the team, showed once again why she is such a special talent by coming back to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 and get her first top-30 win on clay.
Emma Raducanu made an amazing return to beat Caroline Garcia of France and tie the match 1-1 between Great Britain and France in Le Portel for the Billie Jean King Cup qualifier.
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Britain was down 2-0 and almost certain to lose when Raducanu fell behind in the second set to the world number 23 Garcia, who was in great form. Katie Boulter had already been beaten 6-2, 6-0 by Diane Parry.
But Raducanu, who had been hurt for two years and was finally back with the team, showed once again why she is such a special talent by coming back to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 and get her first top-30 win on clay.
The 21-year-old has never played on clay before, but she said again before the match that she thought it might be good for her. This was her best win in over a year.
Garcia, who just beat Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka at the Miami Open, won the first set thanks to her strength. The 30-year-old looked in charge when she broke serve to start the second set.
That same year, Raducanu beat Garcia at Indian Wells but lost to her at Wimbledon. But Garcia fought back, especially with her forehand, and Raducanu won five games in a row to change the tide.
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She had to show how tough she was when Garcia threatened to make a comeback, but the Frenchwoman looked like she was about to cry during the last set because Raducanu kept stepping on the gas.
With a score of 5-1, the ranked 302-ranked Kent player saw the funny side of her celebration, but she kept her cool and looked thrilled when a final shot won the match for her.
“I felt really bad about making that mistake,” Raducanu said. It was all I could think about: “If I lose this now, I’m going to look like a mess.” I’m really glad I was able to get through it.
Boulter had lost 12 straight games to the quickly rising 21-year-old Parry, which showed how little she knew about clay courts.
So far, Boulter’s season has been great, but this was only her 17th match on clay and her first at the tour level.
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The 28th ranked British number one told media, “I need to get better on clay.” It’s such a good way to learn, and I’m learning a lot from it.I know I can play some really good stuff because my base level is there. It’s been great to practise. Even though the score was close, I thought it was a lot tighter than it looked. Both captains have to decide if they will make changes for Saturday, when Boulter plays Garcia first and Raducanu plays Parry.
Three wins are needed to make it to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Seville in November. If it came down to a final doubles match, France would be the clear favourite.
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