Transylvania Open: Raducanu makes winning start after coach split

Emma Raducanu progressed into the second round of the Transylvania Open with a straight-sets win over Greet Minnen.

In her first match since splitting with coach Francis Roig, Raducanu won 6-0 6-4 in an hour and 11 minutes to set up a second-round match with Kaja Juvan.

Raducanu made a ruthless start in Romania, breaking her opponent's serve in the very first game of the match before winning the next 12 points to take a 4-0 lead in the opening set.

The Briton saw out the first with her third set point, though she did not face much resistance in the second.

Another early break allowed the first seed to move into a 3-1 lead in the second, and she held serve before clinching victory with her first match point.

Elsewhere, Paula Badosa's struggles in

2026 continued with a first-round exit at the Abu Dhabi Open.

She lost 6-4 3-6 6-1 to Aliaksandra Sasnovich, meaning the Spaniard has won just two of her six matches this year.

Jelena Ostapenko, meanwhile, overcame Oksana Selekhmeteva 5-7 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 in two hours and 45 minutes to progress to the second round.

What a passing shot!@EmmaRaducanu | #TO2026 pic.twitter.com/UsSFKatv3D

— wta (@WTA) February 2, 2026

Data Debrief: Raducanu dominates on serve

Although Minnen recorded more aces than Raducanu (four to three), the 2021 US Open champion dominated in every other facet on serve.

She won 85.7% of her first serve points to Minnen's 61.1% and a remarkable 72.7% of her second serve points to the Belgian's 29.4%, all without conceding a single break point.

A fast start seems to be important for Raducanu, who has now won eight of her last 11 matches on the WTA Tour when winning the first set.