Not too long ago, Emma Raducanu was the teenager juggling school exams with the whirlwind of Grand Slam life. This time, the spotlight turned to Mingge Xu, who found herself in a similar situation having to take one of her exams while dressed in her tennis gear so she could return in time to compete at the Nottingham tournament.
While Raducanu’s stunning US Open triumph is still fresh in many minds, there was no such dream run in store for Xu. Raducanu took control early, securing an initial break and applying pressure to Xu’s serve in her opening two games. Although Xu settled in and began holding serve more confidently, Raducanu managed to break again to take the first set.
Xu showed resilience in the second set, breaking Raducanu’s serve twice early on and briefly gaining momentum. But Raducanu responded with composure, navigating a series of service breaks and ultimately maintaining her edge to close out the match in straight sets.
After the match, Raducanu acknowledged the unique challenge of facing a fellow Brit especially a younger one.
“It’s always a little awkward playing someone from the same country, particularly someone younger,” she said. “But I think the crowd was great for both of us. It was lovely to see her get that kind of reception. She’s a talented player with some serious firepower.
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