Emma Raducanu stormed through a second-set tiebreaker, claiming a 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2) victory over Ekaterina Alexandrova to move into the second round.

Britain’s 2021 US Open champion placed in the second round here for a fourth consecutive edition, finishing on her third match point with a ball at the feet of her opponent.

Raducanu was playing her first match since the BJK Cup last November.

She won despite 15 double-faults, firing nine aces but her unforced error count hit 30 while she broke Alexandrova six times from 10 chances in the two-and-a-quarter-hour struggle.

The 22-year-old Londoner had no real explanation as to the state of her serving.

“Honestly, I’m not sure what I changed in my serve today. I think it had a
mind of its own.

“I’ve had experience having teething problems with it (but) being able to come back and fix it for the next match.

“I’m looking forward to getting back out on the court tomorrow and working on it.”

She added: “I’m very pleased to have come through that match. It was difficult, quite hot out there, getting quite sunny and I was playing against a really experienced opponent.

“I’m very proud of how I fought and how I overcame certain situations in that match.”

The No. 61 next faces Amanda Anisimova for a breakthrough third-round spot after the American dispatched Maria Lourdes Carle of Argentina 6-2, 6-3 in 75 minutes. .

No, 6 Elena Rybakina showed her champion’s form as she hammered teenaged Australian qualifier Emerson Jones, with the 2022 Wimbledon winner showing no mercy in 53 minutes.

“Of course I knew that people want to support the Australian,” the winner said. “She’s very young.

“I knew that I’m going to have a lot of opportunities. So I was kind of prepared for anything.”

But 17-year-old American prodigy Iva Jovic pulled out a convincing win as she destroyed Nuria Parrizas Diaz of Spain 6-2, 6-1.

Eighth seed Emma Navarro won an all-American showdown with Payton Stearns 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 7-5.

Last season’s US Open semi-finalist is a first-time top eight seed, with an Australian hardcourt title from Hobart a year ago.

 Ninth seed Daria Kasatkina defeated Bulgarian Viktoriya Tomova 6-1, 6-3 while beatriz Haddad Maia, seeded 15th, sent out Argentine qualifier Julia Riera 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.      

Main photo:-Emma Raducanu celebrates by WTATennis.com

Luckless Brit Emma Raducanu withdrew on Tuesday from the WTA Auckland event as her near-endless run of injuries continued with a “back niggle”

The former US Open champion whose career since the big day in New York three years ago has been one mishap after another, made the call.

Raducanu had only recently hired a former physical trainer of Maria Sharapova in hopes of banishing the complaints that have left her once promising career in tatters.

She won three matches at November’s BJK Cup but  her last appearance on the Tour came in September when she retired hurt in Seoul.

The Raducanu team are now scheduled to fly to Melbourne in hopes of preparing for the January 12 start of the Australian Open.

“I tried my best to be ready. I love Auckland and the fans here but unfortunately picked up a back niggle and won’t be ready in time,” she said in a statement.

She would have played as a seed for the first time since 2022 had she competed in Auckland.

Naomi Osaka’ s dream of playing for Japan at next month’s Billie Jean King Cup in Spain hit the buffers on Monday as the former No. 1 pulled out with a back injury.

Osaka, back on the circuit after motherhood, currently ranks 56th and played her last match when she retired hurt nearly three months ago against Coco Gauf in the Beijing fourth round.

The original back injury was diagnosed as more serious than originally thought when Osaka stopped play against Gauff on October 1.

The four-time Grand Slam champion will now end her season and skip the women’s international team tournament from November 16 in Malaga.

.“I’ve played so many tournaments this year, so it was definitely the toughest decision to not play this and obviously not play BJK.”