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Emma Raducanu needed some help in getting rid of a cricket on Tuesday, which brought her first-round clash at the Australian Open 2024 to a halt.
Raducanu began the first Grand Slam of her comeback in style, thumping Shelby Rogers of the USA in straight sets. She hit four aces and won a total of 61 points to secure a 6-3, 6-2 win and advance to the second round.
Shelby couldn't ask Raducanu too many tough questions during the match, which lasted just an hour and 18 minutes. However, an insect did make Raducanu's life a little tough on court early in the second set.
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As the 2021 US Open winner prepared to serve in the second game, a cricket flew into the middle of the playing area. She immediately sought help from a ball girl to get rid of the tiny creature.
The cricket hopped from one place to the other, forcing the ball girl to chase after it, which evoked laughter from the spectators at Melbourne Park.
Failing to catch the bug with her bare hands, the ball girl armed herself with a towel and eventually grabbed it. The video of the entire episode can be watched below.
Later in the day, Raducanu took to Instagram to share the video of the incident and applaud the ball girl for her hustle.
"It's true what they say about the [crickets] here - way too good from the ball girl," she wrote.
Emma Raducanu faces Yafan Wang in 2R at Australian Open 2024
Emma Raducanu is scheduled to take on China's Yafan Wang in the second round at the Australian Open 2024 on Thursday, January 18. It will be her first-ever clash with Wang.
Wang comes into the match high on confidence, after a convincing win over 22nd seed Sorana Cirstea on Tuesday. She suffered a bagel in the opening set but punched her way into the second round with a 0-6, 7-5, 6-2 win.
Emma Raducanu has her work cut out for Thursday, especially given her recent history. The Brit hasn't been able to go past the second-round stage in any of her Grand Slam appearances since winning the US Open in 2021. Her last appearance at the Majors before the injury break also ended in the second round (Australian Open 2023).
