Emma Raducanu stuns crowd as she reveals secret talent nobody expected
Emma Raducanu made a winning start to her China Open campaign on Saturday by defeating Cristina Bucsa in straight sets, before leaving the crowd in shock in her post-match interview
Emma Raducanu delighted the crowd with an unexpected comment(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Emma Raducanu turned heads shortly after securing her maiden victory at the China Open, beating Spanish player Cristina Bucsa 6-3 6-3.
The former US Open winner has Chinese heritage on her mother’s side, but had never participated in the Beijing tournament until Saturday, where she progressed to the third round and will face fifth-seed Jessica Pegula.
However, it was her post-match interview that captured attention amongst local supporters. Whilst they may have known that Raducanu possesses Chinese heritage, her ability to speak Mandarin came as a considerable surprise inside the Lotus Court.
“I am part Chinese so it is great to come back here,” Raducanu initially said in English. She then delivered a sentence in Mandarin and was met with thunderous applause from the enthusiastic Beijing crowd.
The interviewer subsequently shifted their questioning from English to Mandarin, acknowledging Raducanu’s linguistic skills, prompting loud expressions of appreciation and cheers, with spectators clearly impressed by her command of the language.
Raducanu engaged in a lively exchange with the crowd, speaking in Mandarin for over a minute and leaving the court to resounding applause.
Raducanu breezed through in straight sets(Image: Getty)
She also said: “This is my first time here in China, so very happy to have got through it, and after a tough one last week, to come back and bounce back.”
Her mother, Renee, who hails from Shenyang, made a rare appearance at one of Raducanu’s matches, watching on as her daughter boosted her chances of securing a seeding at the Australian Open in January.
Four years ago, Raducanu acknowledged that her mother’s origins instilled self-belief in her, telling Vogue: “I think the confidence comes from just inner belief.
“My mum comes from a Chinese background, they have very good self-belief. It’s not necessarily about telling everyone how good you are, but it’s about believing it within yourself. I really respect that about the culture.
“My mum has always instilled a lot of the qualities, like discipline and respect for other people, into me, so I think having parents like I do, they always push me, they have high expectations.
“So I’ve always tried to live up to that. I would say I take a big part of my inspiration from her. She always shows me by example what ‘hard work’ means.”
Raducanu’s mother, Renee Zhai, was in attendance for the match(Image: Getty Images)
Raducanu needed just 97 minutes to sweep Bucsa aside, losing her serve only once as she secured a dominant victory. Her serving proved particularly encouraging, an aspect that has been refined under coach Francisco Roig’s guidance.
She claimed five consecutive games from 3-3 in the opening set to seize command of the encounter. The 22-year-old has now triumphed in her opening match at 14 successive tournaments, stretching back to Indian Wells in March.
