Emma Raducanu makes funny mistake after beating close friend in Canadian Open win

Emma Raducanu picked up exactly where she left off in Washington last week, starting her Canadian Open campaign with a straightforward 6-2 6-4 win over good friend Elena-Gabriela Ruse. The Brit is up to No. 33 in the rankings - her highest position in three years - after reaching the last four at the WTA 500 event in the US capital.

Making her Montreal debut just three days after losing in the Washington semi-finals, the quick turnaround didn't seem to bother Raducanu on the court. But she made a hilarious mistake as she addressed the crowd on the centre court when reflecting on her recent run.

"I'm so happy to have come through that. I know Elena, she's a very good friend of mine and it's very difficult to play someone who you're close to, so I'm really proud with how I kind of put that to one side in the match and also backed up a good week last week in Chicago," Raducanu said during her on-court interview, before laughing and correcting herself.

"Chicago? DC! And performed well today. Yeah, just really happy and loved playing here for the first time."

Raducanu has a good relationship with Ruse. The world No. 58 hails from Romania, and Raducanu is half Romanian.

After winning the 2021 US Open as a teenage qualifier, the Brit played a homecoming exhibition match at London's Royal Albert Hall and picked Ruse to be her opponent. After getting her second tour-level win over her good friend, Raducanu explained how tough it was.

She added: "It's extremely difficult. We've spent a lot of time together off court, practices, and she's a great girl so it's not nice when you have to see her name in the draw but I'm really pleased with how I performed myself."

The world No. 33 had never played in Montreal before. The ATP and WTA Tours alternate between Montreal and Toronto each year for the Canadian Open. And Raducanu's only tournament appearance in 2022 was in the Ontario capital.

But it was an impressive debut for Raducanu, who had another good serving day despite hitting four double faults, and imposed herself on the return.

The 22-year-old will now face No. 32 seed Peyton Stearns, who received a bye directly into round two.

There was a familiar face in Raducanu's box for her match against Ruse, as Mark Petchey was back in the coaching corner.

Petchey briefly worked with Raducanu in 2020, and they reunited at this year's Miami Open. The British coach is a full-time commentator but has been working with the former US Open champion on an ad-hoc basis.

Their agreement was set to last through to the end of Wimbledon. After losing in the third round there, Raducanu admitted they would need to have a chat. Petchey also recently shared his intentions of helping the world No. 33 hire a full-time coach.

He did not join her in Washington last week but continued to shout words of encouragement throughout Monday's match.

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