Aussie teen Joint gives Raducanu battle in Italian Open

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Aussie teen Joint gives Raducanu battle in Italian Open

Emma Raducanu had visited Rome’s Trevi Fountain on the morning before her Italian Open match against *********** teenager Maya Joint, but didn’t have time to make a wish.

If she had got round to chuck in her three coins, the resurgent British star might have asked for a rather easier evening than the one then given to her in a late-night arm wrestle on Wednesday with the tough, talented 19-year-old.

Joint just kept on fighting when all looked lost and there was no question 2021 US Open champ Raducanu, who’s been gradually rediscovering flashes of the form and confidence that marked that amazing Flushing Meadows win, was mightily relieved to eventually prevail 7-5 6-7 (1-7) 6-3 in a high quality joust.

“The level was really high. Maya played so aggressive and any time I dropped the ball a tiny bit short, she was just all over it. So really proud of how I came through,” said Raducanu, who needed two and three-quarter hours to subdue the US-born Queenslander.

Raducanu had been two points away from winning in straight sets, only for Joint to break back with the Briton serving for the match.

Joint, who had won through two qualifying matches at the Foro Italico the previous two days to get into the main draw, then played an almost flawless tiebreak to set up a decider.

Raducanu rediscovered her best to race into a 5-0 lead, but Joint simply wouldn’t go away, pulling back the next three games, saving a match point and even grabbing another break point until, finally, the *********** youngster succumbed, clubbing one forehand too long.

Raducanu wondered if her morning’s tourist trip might have lulled her into being a bit too chilled.

“I actually managed to go to the Trevi fountain this morning but I didn’t make a wish because the ****** was too long and I didn’t have a coin,” she smiled.

“It was nice to see the sights and I had a nice lunch on the terrace on the street, all pretty chill but then the toughest part was to trying to then get psyched up for a match after you’d basically had a day off until 6pm.”

Joint, who’s up to a career-high No.78 and could end up a little higher going into her maiden French Open, made it a real examination but, ultimately, ended up losing alongside her two compatriots, Olivia Gadecki and Ajla Tomljanovic, on Wednesday.

World No.92 Gadecki lost 7-6 (7-5) 5-7 6-2 to American Carloine Dolehide, while Tomljanovic was beaten 6-3 6-4 by Russian-born Frenchwoman Varvara Gracheva.

The only *********** left in the women’s draw is Daria Kasatkina, the 14th seed, who faces a tough opener against Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, who’s fresh off reaching the quarter-finals in Madrid and who demolished 19-year-old ********* rising star Alex Eala 6-0 6-1.

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