Emma Raducanu savours ‘incredible feeling’ at Transylvania Open after reaching first final since US Open triumph

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Emma Raducanu was pushed all the way by Ukraine's Oleksandra Oliynykova before prevailing 7-5 3-6 6-3 to reach the final of the Transylvanian Open. It is Raducanu's first final since she won the 2021 US Open. It capped a fine day of British women's tennis after Katie Boulter booked her place in the final of the Ostrava Open with a 6-1 6-3 win against Katie Volynets.

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Emma Raducanu overcame Oleksandra Oliynykova 7-5 3-6 6-3 in a three-hour seesaw slug-fest to reach the Transylvania Open final, her first since winning the 2021 US Open.

Raducanu, who again had to overcome "moments of adversity" in Cluj, was just three games away from winning the match in straight sets before Oliynykova roared back by winning six games in a row to take the lead in the decider.

However, the momentum swung back to the Brit, who went on a tear to earn three match points at 5-2, only for Oliynykova to again save herself by claiming eight points from a possible nine, setting up the possibility that she could win another game and be serving to level the set at 5-5.

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However, on match point the Ukrainian went long, which handed Raducanu her fourth straight victory after splitting from coach Francisco Roig and just the second WTA Tour final of her career.

"What an incredible match," Raducanu said afterwards. "All props to my opponent today, Ole played incredible, makes it so tricky to put any ball past her, you think it is past her and then the ball is on your baseline or on your sideline so it is so difficult.

"Most proud of how I competed, how I came back in the third set, how I managed the match and I honestly do not know if I could have done it without everyone’s support today."

Raducanu will face either qualifier Daria Snigur or home favourite Sorana Cirstea - and a match against the No. 3 seed could mean she will lose the support of the crowd that she has enjoyed throughout the Transylvania Open.

The half-Romanian player, whose father Ion Raducanu was born in Bucharest, has enjoyed strong backing from the stands and even shouted ‘haide’, Romanian for ‘come on’, after winning a point.

"Yeah when the ‘haides’ come out it means I am getting really gritty, it kind of comes out," Raducanu added. "Since juniors whenever it was really tight it would just come out and that is when the true competitor comes out in me.

"So I am really happy with how I came through this and it is so nice to hear everyone’s support. What an incredible feeling, I really feel like I am at home."

The British No. 1 won 11 straight points to clinch a tense first set and then broke Oliynykova at the start of the second, which looked like the foundation of a straight-sets victory.

However, in a match when both players returned serve well, combining for 11 successful break points, Raducanu was forced to dig deeper to win her first semi-final in four years after five successive defeats in the final four.

It capped a fantastic Friday for British women’s tennis as Katie Boulter only dropped four games against Katie Volynets to advance to the Ostrava Open final in Czechia, where she will face Germany's Tamara Korpatsch.

"It's been a great week for me," Boulter said having won 6-1 6-3. "It's Micky [Joyce, her coach's] birthday tomorrow and I'm going to try and get him a present - a trophy. We're going to leave it all on the line."

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