Queen: Emma Raducanu has a winning start to the grass court season.

Raducanu has looked far from her best in her two matches since the injury, but 16 days after her first-round exit at Roland Garros, the Briton did something new on the Andy Murray Arena.

In the year The 2021 US Open champion was 3-0 up before rain stopped her match – but that didn’t stop her in her stride.

After 20 minutes on court, she took the first set without reply, winning 25 of her 31 points – hitting 11 winners and two unforced errors.

Radukanu maintained that finesse to start the second set with a service break – although she didn’t have it all her own way.

Last year’s Queen’s quarter-finalist Raducanu was hampered by double faults as she allowed Blinkova to return – with four straight breaks of serve to tie the set at three games.

However, Radukanu broke again courtesy of a sticky net to set up a chance to serve out the match and, wearing a bright smile in the sunshine, met a closing backhand winner on her second match point with much fanfare.

With ‘go home’ written on his heart before leaving the court, Raducanu will face Romania’s Sorana Cirstea or Australia’s Madison Inglis in the second round.