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\n Emma Raducanu got her HSBC Championships off to a blistering start with an impressive 6-0 6-3 straight sets victory over Anna Blinkova in the first round.\n <\/p>\n
The British No 1 dazzled the packed London crowd in a 20-minute first set – she won all six possible games, only dropped six points in the entire set, and produced winners in 12 of her 25 points.<\/p>\n
Raducanu was visibly happier on the court, watched on by her new coach Andrew Richardson, with whom she reunited last month after the pair won the US Open in 2021.<\/p>\n
Blinkova, however, never lost hope and bounced back in the second set, producing an expert volleyed drop-shot to win her first game after an early Raducanu break, before the Brit produced three straight double faults to allow the Russian to level the game with a hold at 3-3.<\/p>\n
Raducanu, though, kept her composure well under significant pressure from her opponent, and a vital break at 4-3 ahead allowed her to serve for the match and book her safe passage into the second round.<\/p>\n
“I’m so happy to have come through that match, and to be back here playing at Queen’s,” Raducanu said to BBC Sport after her win.<\/p>\n
“I haven’t won a match for a few months and there’s no place I would rather have done it. I’m so grateful for the support.<\/p>\n
“I have a lot of people who mean a lot around me – I’m doing my best each day. Being a part of the atmosphere is something I really enjoy – I don’t find it to be negative pressure, I really buzz off it and enjoy it. I love playing here, and I’m just happy to be back.”<\/p>\n
Watch the ATP and WTA Tours, live on Sky Sports or stream with NOW and the Sky Sports app. Find out more here.<\/p>\n