Published On: Wed, May 7th, 2025

Bathroom break crucial to Emma Raducanu’s progress in Rome

Emma Raducanu beat Maya Joint 7-5, 6-7, 6-3 in the first round at the Italian Open
Emma Raducanu beat Maya Joint 7-5, 6-7, 6-3 in the first round at the Italian Open – Getty Images/Dan Istitene

Emma Raducanu’s nerves were tested by Maya Joint, a talented teenager from Australia, before she steeled herself to score her first-ever victory in Rome.

It had been a tit-for-tat exchange up until the deciding set, with Raducanu making most of the running but Joint refusing to give up easily.

Raducanu even wasted a golden opportunity to get the job done in straight sets. She was up at the net, with the score at 3-5, 0-30 on the Joint serve, and a juicy ball to put away. But the chance got away from her and so did the set, after the poorest tie-break she has played all season.

Where would the match go from here? It had the potential to turn into a chastening evening in Rome. Would Raducanu’s tournament, like the nearby chimneys of Vatican City, go up in black smoke?

Raducanu opted for a long bathroom break, which was clearly a smart move, because she promptly raced into a 5-0 lead in the decider. One wondered whether Joint, who stayed out on court during the delay, had cooled down physically and lost her explosive energy. Given that the match did not finish until pushing 11pm, local time, the conditions were turning distinctly chilly.

Experience is a useful asset in these moments, and 19-year-old Joint has not been in too many situations like this. Indeed, it was only the sixth deciding set she had played on the WTA Tour.

Even now, though, the young Aussie was defiant. Throughout this entertaining match, she took advantage whenever Raducanu dropped her own intensity. And that seemed to happen each time Raducanu was on the verge of a decisive advantage.

One last break-back continued the narrative of uncertainty before Raducanu finally took the match 7-5, 6-7, 6-3. Her reward is a second-round meeting with Ekaterina Alexandrova, the dangerous Russian whom she has already played twice this season, winning in Melbourne but losing in Doha.

It was a highly creditable win in the end for Raducanu, who had to work much harder than she would have expected when she led by an apparently dominant 7-5, 5-3 margin. The match clock finished at 2hr 44min, and that must be an encouraging statistic from the perspective of her fitness.

In the deciding set, Raducanu kept pinning Joint back with a whipped forehand up the near sideline. Her “inside-in” forehand – as the tennis jargon goes – is a stylish shot which must have delivered half-a-dozen winners.

It was sterling work, because Joint has great ball-striking talent and a real turn of pace across the court. She was adept at turning defensive positions around – as, indeed, she was at turning scorelines around.

Joint’s tennis was at its most dangerous when she was in an apparently desperate position. In these moments, she found both resilience and aggression, making Raducanu having to dig deep over and over again.

Maya Joint hits a backhand in Rome
Maya Joint caused Raducanu all sorts of problems across three sets – Getty Images/Dan Istitene

Herself a teenage prodigy of the recent past, Raducanu must have felt enormous pressure at the prospect of throwing away so many winning positions against a 19-year-old.

“Maya played so aggressive,” Raducanu said afterwards. “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 6pm.”

Boulter’s woes on clay continue

In the other matches, Katie Boulter continued to look uncomfortable on the clay as she was eliminated by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova after an underwhelming performance earlier in the day.

Boulter still only has one victory to her name at clay-court WTA events, from the entirety of her career. This display was typical of her struggles on the surface, as she served six double-faults while barely finding the court with her returns.

But Cameron Norrie capitalised on a lucky-loser spot by defeating Australia’s Christopher O’Connell in straight sets – 6-3, 6-2.

10:44 PM BST

‘The level was really high today’

09:50 PM BST

Match point

09:47 PM BST

Raducanu wins the third set and the match 7-5, 6-7, 6-3

Raducanu shows incredible reflexes at the net to win the opening point after a tricky net cord.

A huge forehand down the line after an extended rally then sees Raducanu go 30-0 up. Joint then cracks a clean return winner to go 15-30.

Raducanu then pushes a backhand wide as Joint levels up 30-30. A nice forehand cross gets Raducanu to 40-30 and match point…

Joint saves it attacking the the Raducanu backhand. A backhand error then gives Joint advantage but Raducanu saves it with a clever serve down the T.

A well constructed point, finished with a forehand down the line, gets Raducanu to match point again… and the Briton gets it done, finally.

Superb effort from the Australian teenager but Raducanu was too good in the end.

09:38 PM BST

Third set: Raducanu 7-5, 6-7, 5-3 Joint*

Joint, serving to stay in the match again, wins the opening point as Raducanu nets a forehand from the baseline.

A double fault sees the Briton get to 15-15 before Joint throws down an ace to sneak 30-15 ahead. Another error from Raducanu sees Joint get to 40-15 and the Australian holds after firing a brilliant forehand cross.

Over to Raducanu to try and serve it out again.

09:34 PM BST

Third set: Raducanu* 7-5, 6-7, 5-2 Joint

Raducanu wins the opening point which produces a huge “come on” from the Briton.

Joint then gets to 15-15 and then 15-30 after drawing two errors from Raducanu.

Another dominant point sees Joint get to 15-40 and the Australian breaks as Raducanu sprays a backhand wide.

09:30 PM BST

Third set: Raducanu 7-5, 6-7, 5-1 Joint*

Joint nets a backhand to fall 0-15 behind.

Raducanu then gets to 0-30 after deceiving Joint with a drop shot… the Australian was floored again by the Briton after losing her footing on the baseline.

To the Australian’s credit, she goes on a four-point winning streak to get on the board for the first time in this third set.

09:25 PM BST

Third set: Raducanu* 7-5, 6-7, 5-0 Joint

Raducanu goes long with a backhand to give Joint the opening point.

The Briton then gets on the board thanks to a well-taken forehand winner down the line. Raducanu cracks another one to go 30-15 ahead. Then 40-15 thanks to some good play up at the net… and Raducanu is just a game away after another excellent hold!

09:21 PM BST

Third set: Raducanu 7-5, 6-7, 4-0 Joint*

Raducanu got to 0-30 before Joint put together three quality points to go 40-30 ahead.

The Briton then gets to deuce before Joint retakes the lead thanks to an error from the Briton.

A lasered cross-court backhand gets Raducanu back to deuce before Briton gets to advantage thanks to a Joint error and Raducanu breaks again!

09:16 PM BST

Joint looks a step slower

Well, the momentum didn’t stay with Joint for long. Raducanu’s long bathroom break interrupted Joint’s momentum and may have affected her physically as well, because she has looked a step slower in the third.

09:15 PM BST

Third set: Raducanu* 7-5, 6-7, 3-0 Joint

Raducanu dominates the opening two exchanges to go 30-0 up. The Briton then follows up with an ace to go 40-0 up.

Joint has no answer for Raducanu’s great court craft as the Briton holds to go 3-0 up in this deciding set.

Emma Raducanu celebrates

09:12 PM BST

Third set: Raducanu 7-5, 6-7, 2-0 Joint*

Joint falls 0-40 behind after a mix of errors and Raducanu forcing the issue.

The Briton does break after an aggressive return sets up the point nicely for the Briton.

09:08 PM BST

Third set: Raducanu* 7-5, 6-7, 1-0 Joint

Raducanu races to 30-0 lead before going 40-0 up to bring up three game points.

Joint gets on the board after ripping a quality backhand down the line.

The Briton holds to 15 to get things started in this decider.

09:01 PM BST

Joint the favourite to pull off upset?

Raducanu staring over the precipice now after wasting that dominant position at 5-3 in the second set. She was up at the net, with 0-30 on the Joint serve, and should have put the ball away for three match points. Since then, she has been increasingly poor and subdued, and Joint must be the favourite to pull off an upset now.

08:59 PM BST

Joint takes the second-set tie-break

Joint wins the opening point as Raducanu goes long from the baseline. 0-1.

An extended rally sees the Australian get the better of Raducanu and secure the first mini break. 0-2.

Raducanu then sprays a forehand wide as Joint extends her lead further. 0-3.

After a lengthy backhand exchange, Joint finishes the point to go 4-0 ahead.

Then 5-0 after closing things off at the net.

Raducanu finally gets on the board after a nice forehand down the line. 1-5.

Joint attacks a Raducanu second serve as the Briton nets the next ball to give the Australian five set points. 1-6.

And Joint takes the second set tie-break. We are going the distance!

08:51 PM BST

Second set: Raducanu* 7-5, 6-6 Joint

Sweeping backhand down the line sees Joint get on the board first before a clever Raducanu serve sees the Briton reply and then get to 30-15 after a well constructed point.

Raducanu, peppering the Joint forehand, gets to 40-15 and closes out the game.

Tie-break will decide this second set.

08:47 PM BST

Second set: Raducanu 7-5, 5-6 Joint*

Joint wins the opening point after drawing an error from the Raducanu racket. The Australian then gets to 30-0 after a short rally, then goes long with a backhand-cross as Raducanu gets on the board for the first time.

Another strong return sees Raducanu get to 30-30 but Joint wins the following two points to hold and take the lead in set two!

08:43 PM BST

Second set: Raducanu* 7-5, 5-5 Joint

Joint goes long from the baseline to give Raducanu the opening point.

The Briton then throws in an error as Joint draws level at 15-15. Joint then wins the next point after a good return up the middle jams up Raducanu.

The Australian then gets to 15-40 after a huge forehand winner from the baseline… and Joint breaks back!

08:39 PM BST

Second set: Raducanu 7-5, 5-4 Joint*

Raducanu gets on the board first after some nice forhand combinations. The Briton then gets to 0-30 after another aggressive return sets up the point nicely.

Joint then gets on the board with a nice passing shot and then 30-30 after drawing an error from Raducanu. The Briton then nets a return to give Joint game point and the Australian holds to ask Raducanu the question after the sitdown.

The Briton will attempt to serve out the match after the break.

08:36 PM BST

Second set: Raducanu* 7-5, 5-3 Joint

Joint rips a forehand down the line to take the lead. Raducanu then hits another double fault to fall 0-30 behind.

A nice backhand-cross literally floors Joint as Raducanu gets on the board for the first time. Joint then gets to 15-40 before Raducanu saves the first break point and the second with a clever first serve out wide to the Joint backhand.

Raducanu holds from 15-40 down and is just a game away from the second round!

08:29 PM BST

Second set: Raducanu 7-5, 4-3 Joint*

Joint comes out on top after an extended baseline exchange before Raducanu draws level following an error from the Australian.

A clever serve sees Joint edge ahead before Raducanu gets to 30-30 thanks to a nice backhand down the line. Joint then calmly finishes the next point at the net to bring up game point… and holds as Raducanu goes long with the return.

Good hold from the Australian to stay in touch.

08:26 PM BST

Second set: Raducanu* 7-5, 4-2 Joint

Raducanu opens with a double fault then falls 0-30 behind following a tough net cord.

A clever angled passing shot gets the Briton on the board at 15-30. Then a big serve out wide draws the Raducanu level at 30-30.

Joint then goes long with a forehand return to give Raducanu game point… and the Briton holds as Joint nets a backhand.

08:20 PM BST

Second set: Raducanu 7-5, 3-2 Joint*

Raducanu wrong foots Joint with a nice backhand volley to go 0-15. The Briton then gets to 0-30 thanks to a heavy forehand return.

More big hitting from Raducanu gets the Briton to 0-40 before going long with a return but on her second break point, Raducanu converts to retake the lead in this second set.

08:17 PM BST

Second set: Raducanu* 7-5, 2-2 Joint

Raducanu wins the opening point before a lovely backhand pass gets Joint to 15-15.

The Australian then gets to 15-30 after a nice backhand volley put-away. An untimely double fault sees Raducanu fall 15-40 behind.

The Briton then saves the first break point but is unable to save the second as she nets a forehand on the stretch after some dominant attacking play from Joint.

08:11 PM BST

Second set: Raducanu 7-5, 2-1 Joint*

The Australian stops the rot to get on the board for the first time in this second set with a hold to 15.

A very important hold as another break from Raducanu surely would have meant curtains for the Australian teenager.

08:09 PM BST

Second set: Raducanu* 7-5, 2-0 Joint

The Briton then follows up with a quick love-hold as Joint shows the first signs of frustration.

Five games in a row now for Raducanu!

08:05 PM BST

Second set: Raducanu 7-5, 1-0 Joint*

Raducanu immediately breaks to get things going in this second set.

The Briton has won four games in a row now!

08:03 PM BST

Raducanu holds her nerve

A fascinating set. Joint is a remarkably cool customer, especially for a 19-year-old, but Raducanu held her nerve under pressure and broke serve twice – both times with a clean backhand return winner.

08:00 PM BST

Raducanu wins the opening set 7-5

Deep backhand down the line sees Raducanu win the opening point. The Briton then follows up with an ace to go 30-0 ahead.

Then 40-0 after a well constructed point… and Raducanu holds to love in emphatic style in the end.

Great opening set from the Briton.

07:56 PM BST

First set: Raducanu 6-5 Joint*

Raducanu races to 0-40 lead before Joint gets on the board after a cheeky drop shot.

Two errors from the Raducanu racket get the Australian to deuce before the Briton retakes the lead to bring up her fourth break point.

A clean backhand return winner sees Raducanu break. She will serve for the first set after the sitdown.

07:53 PM BST

Joint backhand made of spun gold

The Joint backhand is made of spun gold. I’ve only noticed her miss once. Raducanu is trying to avoid it but I feel like her inside-out forehand is better than her regular crosscourt, so she’s quite inhibited on that shot. She keeps missing attempted kills into Joint’s forehand corner.

07:51 PM BST

First set: Raducanu* 5-5 Joint

Raducanu, serving to stay in the first, goes long with a forehand. The Briton then levels things up as Joint returns the favour with a return.

A nervy drive volley from Joint sees the Australian get to 15-30 before Raducanu finds a big first serve which draws another error from Joint.

Joint gets to deuce after taking advantage of a short ball with a clean backhand down the line. Raducanu then jams up her opponent with another clever first serve to sneak ahead again before netting a backhand from the baseline.

Raducanu holds from 15-30 down.

07:43 PM BST

First set: Raducanu 4-5 Joint*

Good defensive play sees Raducanu get on the board first. The Briton then gets to 30-15 thanks to a heavy return on the forehand wing. Joint levels things up at 30-30 and then gets to 40-30 as Raducanu goes long with a forehand.

A clever drop shot on the stretch gets Raducanu to deuce before Joint gets to game point and eventually holds thanks to some good serving.

07:39 PM BST

First set: Raducanu* 4-4 Joint

Raducanu’s heavy forehand sees the Briton get to 30-0. Joint then gets on the board after Raducanu goes long from the baseline.

Joint levels things up at 30-30 after hanging in an extended rally with Raducanu. The Briton then gets to game point as she passes the Australian on the forehand wing.

Joint then nets a return on the next point as Raducanu holds.

07:33 PM BST

First set: Raducanu 3-4 Joint*

Raducanu races to 0-30 before Joint gets to 15-30 after a Raducanu error.

The Australian then levels things up at 30-30 as Raducanu nets a forehand on the stretch.

A clean forehand down the line brings up game point before Raducanu gets to deuce with a backhand cross following a good return.

Raducanu then gets down low to hit a lovely forehand winner down the line to get to break point but Joint saves it thanks to a smart kick serve that catches Raducanu off guard. The Briton then gets to break point again and this time does take it after a nice backhand down the line.

Back on serve in set two.

07:28 PM BST

Petchey on Tennis Channel duty tonight

Looks like Mark Petchey is unavailable owing to his commitments with the Tennis Channel. Raducanu has Jane O’Donoghue at courtside for moral support, but even though O’Donoghue used to coach her as a junior, she sees her more as a “big sister”, in her own words. Petchey’s absence could be tricky if this gets close.

07:27 PM BST

First set: Raducanu* 2-4 Joint

After winning the opening point with an aggressive forehand, Raducanu forces one wide to go 15-15.

A lovely lob from Joint deceives Raducanu who goes long with the overhead. 15-30 Joint.

Another overhead, this time on the backhand side, from Raducanu sails wide to give Joint two break points and the Australian breaks as Raducanu nets a forehand.

Maya Joint in action at the Italian Open

07:22 PM BST

First set: Raducanu 2-3 Joint*

The pair exchange the first couple of points before Joint goes up 30-15.

Some good recovery play then sees Joint get to 40-15 as Raducanu goes long with a forehand.

The Briton then gets to 40-30 after a nice forehand-cross but Joint eventually holds to 30.

07:19 PM BST

Nice match to watch already

This is a nice match to watch already. Joint is stylish, especially on the backhand side, while Raducanu has come out looking very smooth. Her rhythm was excellent in that first service game. Let’s see if she can keep that up.

07:19 PM BST

First set: Raducanu* 2-2 Joint

Huge serve down the T is returned long by Joint.

Raducanu sprays a forehand wide as Joint levels up at 30-30.

Nice serve-plus-one combo, finished with a forehand down the line, gets Raducanu to game point… and the Briton holds to 30.

07:14 PM BST

First set: Raducanu 1-2 Joint*

Joint wins the opening point after drawing a volley error from Raducanu before going up 30-0.

Raducanu then takes a backhand up the line to get to 30-15 before drawing level at 30-30 following another error from Joint.

The Briton then gets to break point after a dominant pattern of play. Joint saves the first break point but Raducanu gets another look after a heavy forehand winner. Joint is able to save it after her own forehand winner in the mid court.

Break point number three comes for Raducanu as Joint goes long with a backhand. A lucky net cord volley sees Joint get back to deuce. Raducanu rips a forehand return winner off a Joint second serve.

Joint then wins the next two points and secures the game with a clean backhand winner down the line.

07:07 PM BST

First set: Raducanu* 1-1 Joint

Raducanu races to 30-0 after drawing two quick errors from the Joint racket. The Briton then gets to 40-0 as Joint nets a forehand from the baseline.

A heavy forehand winner down the line sees Raducanu hold to love.

07:04 PM BST

First set: Emma Raducanu 0-1 Maya Joint* (*denotes server)

Joint gets on the board first after an extended rally. Raducanu then fires a huge forehand down the line to get to 15-15 before Joint goes long on the next point to fall 15-30 behind.

The Australian draws level with a nice forehand down the line and then gets to 40-30 as Raducanu nets a return. Joint holds as Raducanu goes long.

07:00 PM BST

Coin toss

Raducanu won the toss and has elected to receive.

06:56 PM BST

Players are on court

Emma Raducanu and qualifier Maya Joint are on court and warming up.

06:49 PM BST

Norrie sees off O’Connell in straights

Cameron Norrie is through to the second round after a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 victory over Christopher O’Connell.

Norrie, in the main draw as a lucky loser after falling in the final round of qualifying, will play 10th seed Daniil Medvedev next.

Cameron Norrie celebrates in Rome

06:43 PM BST

Mixed fortunes for the British women in Rome

British No 1 Katie Boulter lost out to Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3, 6-3 in the first round earlier today.

Sonay Kartal, currently at a career-high world No 56, is through to the second round though after coming back from a set down against Kimberly Birrell – 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Tuesday.

06:35 PM BST

Briton faces Australian for the first time

Good evening and welcome to coverage of the Italian Open, where Emma Raducanu is in first-round action against Maya Joint of Australia in Rome.

It is fair to say that the Italian capital is concerning itself with matters of more grandiose importance today. Not two miles from the Foro Italico, the world’s leading cardinals are solemnly gathered behind the closed doors of the Sistine Chapel to attend to matters of high papal importance.

But those of us of a sporting bent are more concerned with red clay than white smoke and wondering whether a British candidate will emerge triumphant to the acclaim of the well-heeled watching hordes on the banks of the Tiiber.

Raducanu is hoping to improve on her most recent performance on clay: a second-round exit at the hands of Marta Kostyuk, of Ukraine, at the Madrid Open.

The British No 2 should be all the better for that experience given it was her first outing of the year on a surface on which, like many British players, she has tended to struggle.

Last year Raducanu skipped the clay-court season entirely and indeed her defeat by Kostyuk was only the 18th competitive clay-court match of her career.

So the 22-year-old has spent the last few days trying to refamiliarise herself with the red stuff.

“I’m working on feeling a bit more comfortable on this surface,” she told Sky Sports. “I’m not fully there yet but slowly I’m putting in the good work – and consistency is key.”

Raducanu says that the cooler conditions in Rome have been markedly different to Madrid but she is looking forward to testing herself.

“It hasn’t been too hot here so [the surface] has been quite heavy, so it’s slower. It’s just a good challenge for my game.

“I want to work on doing things differently and trying to bridge the gap between where I am now and where I want to be.

“I’m going to use the season to take the pressure off and try and be more aggressive and play the way I want to more so that it can help me on the other surfaces.”

Interesting words there from Raducanu. Rather than take the more patient approach the clay-court game tends to demand, it seems she plans to bend this testing surface to her own will – and use it as a platform for future grass and hard-court tournaments she feels she stands a better chance of thriving in.

Raducanu has not played Rome since 2022 and admits the tournament “feels new” and “exciting” to her, which is in keeping with her current mindset. “It does feel like a bit of a fresh start just with the way I’m approaching everything, with the people I have around, with my mindset and outlook.

“I feel more optimistic and pretty positive about things going forward. Just taking it day by day and staying consistent.”

With Mark Petchey having come on board again, on an ad-hoc basis, Raducanu says that apart from the “odd tweak” she has decided to dispense with obsessing over the technical side of her game. She seems keen to release the handbrake.

“It’s something I’m going away from,” she said. “I’ve been very technical in the past, and there’s definitely been a time and place for that because I needed to make improvements but now it’s more about doing the right thing. Taking the ball on more. Repetition of certain drills and patterns, and he [Petchey] is very good at setting those up.”

Raducanu has turned to Petchey because she is wary about whom she allows into her inner circle. In fact she says she has become “Fort Knox”. Sonia Twigg’s piece explains more.

Raducanu and Joint have not played each other before, but the Australian enjoyed an encouraging run in Madrid, getting through the qualifying rounds and winning her first-round encounter against Carlota Martínez Cirez.

The 19-year-old gave a good account of herself against 11th seed Emma Navarro, breaking her serve on four occasions before being edged out 7-5, 7-5.

Joint seems to be well-suited to clay then, so do not expect Raducanu to run away with this one, whether she puts the handbrake on or off. Let’s just hope she doesn’t need too much divine intervention…

Tennis News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos

Most Popular Posts

Categories