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Key events
Shibahara’s double fault allows Raducanu to make it 15-all, and a forehand into the net gives Raducanu the next point. But Shibahara is finally on the board, a forehand down the line providing her some relief. Raducanu leads 5-1.
Shibahara finds the net while trying to return a backhand slice and goes long moments later, allowing Raducanu to go 5-0 up.
Well, that was rapid. Raducanu breaks once again with little to no discomfort, Shibahara netting while down 15-40. The British No 1 seems to have too much power for her opponent at the moment. Raducanu leads 4-0.
Shibahara finally gets a go at Raducanu’s second serve and wallops a deep forehand to make it 15-30. The former takes the game to deuce after finding some confidence with her forehand … well, just as I type that, she sends one way out of bounds. Raducanu holds to go 3-0 up.
Shibahara’s first point of the match is set up by a tidy drop shot. She double-faults to make it 30-30, and does so again – a chance for Raducanu to break. Shibahara finds the net with a forehand and Raducanu goes 2-0 up.
And we’re finally up and running, with Raducanu to serve. An ace is her first act of the tournament, and she’s rapid in going to 40-0, that first serve looking in good order. She’s up to the net as Shibahara is quickly overpowered. Raducanu leads 1-0 in the first set.
Raducanu has played Shibahara before, beating her 6-1, 6-4 in Nottingham last year. Shibahara is best known for her work in doubles, having won the mixed event at the 2022 French Open. She did reach the second round of the singles here last year.
If you fancy indulging in some nostalgia.
Quick: tuck into Tumaini Carayol’s preview. Swiatek and Sinner lead the pack.
Preamble
Hello, hello, hello and welcome to the last slam of the season. We’ve had the flashier version of mixed doubles; now to the solo show, with the tournament enjoying its first Sunday start.
Ben Shelton, Aryna Sabalenka and Taylor Fritz are among the big names ready to get going in the next few hours, but our early focus will be on the 2021 champion Emma Raducanu. She hasn’t won a match at Flushing Meadows since that life-changing triumph but is carrying some good vibes into this year’s draw; the world No 36 pushed Sabalenka all the way to a third-set tiebreak in Cincinnati this month. She faces Japan’s Ena Shibahara at the Louis Armstrong Stadium at 4pm BST/11am local time.
I’ll try keep my eye on everything, of course, but drop me a line with the things I’ll inevitably miss. Share your thoughts, hopes, fears, dreams, whatever compels you. Here’s to a fun couple of weeks.
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