Queen's: Emma Raducanu returns to ruthless ways as Heather Watson pulls off first-round giant killing

Emma Raducanu's first singles grass-court match of the season was a joyous affair as the British number two demolished Cristina Bucsa at the Queen's Club Championships.

The 2021 US Open champion took to the Andy Murray Arena a day after triumphing alongside Katie Boulter in their opening doubles match, and she had some wrongs to right against her Spanish foe.

Bucsa came from a set down to defeat Raducanu in a marathon encounter in Singapore in January, but the British number one atoned for those errors in a merciless 6-1 6-2 thumping of the world number 112.

Playing with a beaming smile etched across her face throughout, Raducanu - currently ranked 37th on the globe - won five games on the spin to close out the first set in 24 minutes before racing into a 4-0 lead in the second.

Bucsa belatedly began to ask more questions of the Raducanu serve late on, bringing up one break point at 4-1 down, but that opportunity went begging before Raducanu converted her second match point.

The 22-year-old now faces the prospect of a potential second-round clash with reigning Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, if the seventh seed can take down Rebecca Sramkova in their opening battle.

Should Raducanu also come up trumps in her second-round clash, she could be on a collision course to face top seed Zheng Qinwen in the quarter-finals, and she is one of four Brits vying for a place in the last eight.

Katie Boulter, Heather Watson join Raducanu in Queen's second round

Prior to Raducanu's success, doubles partner and British number one Boulter recovered from a disastrous second set to eliminate Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic in just under two-and-a-half hours.

The 28-year-old conquered the qualifier 7-6[1] 1-6 6-4 following a chaotic final set, in which the pair traded a staggering six breaks between them in the opening seven games.

However, Boulter was ruthless on return all afternoon and made it six for six on break points while Tomljanovic was serving for the match, thus earning a second-round tussle with Diana Shnaider or Magdalena Frech.

Eerily, both Boulter and Tomljanovic managed six double faults and six aces each during their engrossing encounter, but while the Briton converted 100% of her break points, the qualifier only took half of hers.

Elsewhere, veteran Heather Watson pulled off a first-round giant killing of Yulia Putintseva, taking out the world number 27 - who is ranked 137 places higher than her - 6-4 6-3.

Watson can now look forward to a daunting battle with Elena Rybakina in round two, but Francesca Jones was knocked out at the first hurdle, suffering a 2-6 4-6 loss to the USA's McCartney Kessler.

Written by
Ben Knapton