Emma Raducanu recovers in Hobart to post first win in over three months
Emma Raducanu offered an impressive demonstration of her resilience at the Hobart International as she rallied from an overnight second-set deficit in her rain-delayed first-round match to defeat Camila Osorio of Colombia 6-3, 7-6 (2),The victory marks Raducanu’s first win since September after struggling with a foot injury in the final weeks of the 2025 season,She had contested just one match this season after being sidelined for much of the off-season, losing in three sets to Maria Sakkari in the United Cup,Considering those recent challenges, this is a positive start for Raducanu, who will next face Magdalena Frech, the WTA No 57,“These ones mean so much more,” Raducanu said of her tight victory.
“It’s such a fine line between winning and losing a match like that.It can easily affect your whole mood, your whole days, your whole weeks.I try not to let that happen but it’s very difficult.This is a very good day for sure to stack up.”The top seed in Hobart, Raducanu was locked in a tough battle with Osorio, the WTA No 82, when the match was eventually suspended due to rain.
Raducanu had played solidly to take the opening set, but as Osorio began to take the ball early and inject more pace into her strokes, the 22-year-old became increasingly passive.A third set seemed to beckon as she trailed 1-4 and a double break.Raducanu retrieved one of the breaks just before play was suspended at 2-4, deuce on her serve, due to heavy rain.Upon the restart, Raducanu looked like a different person.It was the Briton who stepped inside the baseline and dictated, dominating with her forehand but also striking her backhand down the line well.
By imposing her superior firepower, Raducanu separated herself from her lesser opponent and she finished the match by winning seven of the last nine games on the restart, completing her great recovery with a confident, emphatic tie-break.“Very, very difficult match,” said Raducanu.“We played under all conditions and coming on, coming off, a few times, it was really difficult.I don’t think I’ve slept over many matches in between so that was also a new one for me.I thought Camila played an incredible match overall.
Such good defence, and then stepped in when I dropped the ball short.I’m just really pleased with how I came out today and turned it around and then stuck in during the tie-break.”Although she was unable to train at full power due to her foot injury, Raducanu was able to spend some time working through static feeding drills and it is clear that a lot of time and thought has gone into adjusting her technique during the off-season.She has slightly altered her forehand technique this year, lengthening her swing in an apparent attempt to generate more pace, spin and weight of shot so that she is better placed to counter the numerous bigger hitters who have overpowered her on the tour in recent years.Raducanu will need to play as many matches as she can to grow comfortable with those changes in competition and by winning, she has provided herself another opportunity to improve on Thursday.
LGB+ people in England and Wales ‘much’ more likely to die by suicide than straight people
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Football fan took his own life after using illegal ‘predatory’ betting sites, inquest told
A football fan took his own life after his love of the sport fuelled a gambling addiction that led him to bet with illegal offshore operators that “prey on” vulnerable people, a coroner has heard.Ollie Long, from Wendover in Buckinghamshire, died in February 2024, aged 36, after struggling with his addiction for eight years.In statements read by Long’s sister, Chloe, East Sussex coroner’s court in Lewes heard the “endlessly kind” Liverpool FC fan had started gambling through his passion for football and won £15,000 through a sign-up offer.She said the gambling websites he went on to use were “highly addictive, predatory systems designed to exploit”.The court heard the sites included illegal offshore operators that target UK consumers who have signed up with the the country’s self-exclusion scheme, GamStop, promoting themselves online as “Not on GamStop”
HMRC admits 71% wrongly targeted in child benefit fraud crackdown
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Women are feral for Heated Rivalry. What does that say about men?
The explosive popularity of the gay hockey TV drama reveals women’s desire for sex and romance without violence or hierarchyThe first time gay hockey romance crossed Mary’s radar, she was warned off it. A 64-year-old non-profit executive from Toronto, Mary recalled mentioning the Canadian author Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series to her son, a twentysomething queer writer and fellow hockey obsessive, a few years ago.“I said: ‘Have you heard of these books?’ and he said: ‘Yeah.’ I said: ‘Should I read these books?’ And he said: ‘No. They’re not for you
‘He tried so hard to get help’: the tragic results of NHS right-to-choose for ADHD patients
When Leigh White remembers her brother Ryan, she thinks of a boy of extraordinary ability who “won five scholarships at 11” including a coveted place at Bancroft’s, a private school in London. He was, she said, “super bright, witty, personable, generous and kind”.Ryan killed himself on 12 May 2024. A report written after his death acknowledged significant shortcomings in the support he received while seeking help for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.Like many people the Guardian spoke to, he followed the “right to choose” pathway, whereby patients can pick a private provider anywhere in England for assessment, diagnosis and initial treatment
Death on the inside: as a prison officer, I saw how the system perpetuates violence
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