Raducanu said her 6-1 6-2 win over Ena Shibahara was “extra special” because of the long wait to record another victory at the US Open since her 2021 title. Raducanu required just 62 minutes to dismiss Shibahara and reach the second round.

Four years ago, Emma Raducanu shocked the tennis world when she won the U.S. Open as an 18-year-old qualifier. But nearly as staggering had been Raducanu’s lack of success at Flushing Meadows since then.

Emma Raducanu’s smile is back. The young Brit broke her three-year U.S. Open drought, winning her first match in Flushing Meadows since the breakthrough 2021 title that changed her life. Radacanu rolled past qualifier Ena Shibahara 6-1, 6-2 at Louis Armstrong Stadium with a 26-minute first set and a brisk one-hour domination.