Emma Raducanu registered a 4-6 6-4 6-2 comeback victory over Linda Fruhvirtova at the ASB Classic in Auckland to win her first match of 2023.

The British star – who stunned the tennis world with her Grand Slam triumph at the 2021 US Open – struggled with injury and form throughout 2022 but looked a new woman in an impressive performance against Czech teenager Fruhvirtova.

Raducanu, playing for the first time since October, did not win a single title on the WTA Tour last year, slipping from world No.10 to world No.78 as she made various changes to her coaching staff in an attempt to return to the top of her game.

She teamed up with German coach Sebastian Sachs last month and her hard work in training appears to have paid off as she recovered from a set-and-break deficit, winning four games on the trot to change the momentum and win.

Fruhvirtova is ranked just once place below Raducanu and the British No.1 will next face world No.105 Viktoria Kuzmova as she bids to win her second-ever title.

Reflecting on her victory over 17-year-old Fruhvirtova, Raducanu said: ‘I mean, what a battle!

‘Linda is such a great young player and it was a different dynamic for me because normally I am the younger one.’

The difficulty level will quickly increase, though, if she is to go all the way at the ASB Classic with several top players in action in the women’s singles.

Coco Gauff, the American world No.7, is the top seed while seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams, 42, is also present after being handed a wildcard.

2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens is the second seed and Leylah Fernandez, who Raducanu beat in the 2021 Flushing Meadows final, is competing as the third seed.

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