Auckland, Jan 03, 2023, IANS

Auckland, Jan 3 (IANS) Emma Raducanu made a winning start to 2023 with a victory over the Czech Republic's rising star Linda Fruhvirtova in the opening round of the ASB Classic here on Tuesday.

Raducanu registered a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 win in a rain-affected match at ASB Tennis Centre. The Briton dropped her first set to the 17-year-old Czech player but she won four games on the trot to change the momentum and wrapped up the match.

She will next face Slovak Viktoria Kuzmova in the round of 16.

The 20-year-old Briton endured a difficult season on the WTA Tour in 2022 as the former US Open champion pulled the plug on her 2022 campaign in early October with a wrist injury.

She took 10 days off to spend time with family and friends before commencing a two-month block of fitness training, without touching a racquet.