US Open winner Emma Raducanu ended her opening match with the women’s program in Upper Austria and Linz.
Raducanu, 18, won 6-1 6-7 (0-7) 7-5 against Wang Xinyu of China before confirming that Torben Beltz was his new manager.
Wang, 20, danced to a higher level than his world record 106th, as Raducanu, the best seed in the program, took his second straight win.
England’s numbers were shattered by injuries and the end of a tough decision.
After winning the first round at Linz, Raducanu has not played since Marta Kostyuk’s 6-1, 6-2 win in Ukraine at the Transylvanian Open on October 29.
Since the victory in Romania, he has been battling the disease.
“Thinking about my last week there, I’m proud of myself,” said Raducanu, who rose to the world’s top 20 for the first time on Monday.
“I think it’s a high game.”
Work on Beltz will start later this month
Beltz, a 44-year-old German who coached former world number one Angelique Kerber, did not join Radukanu in Austria this week.
He will start working at an early age when he begins pre-season training at the end of the month.
Beltz has a solid curriculum, where he coached Kerber after winning the Australian Open and US Open in 2016.
They met again for the season, but Kerber announced on Monday that they would not be working together in 2022.
Raducanu said, “Obviously it’s a great privilege to work with such an experienced manager – I’m very happy to be working with him in the time before and next year.”
“Things are getting better. It’s a good feeling and I’m excited for all the work to come.”
Raducanu has not had a coach since splitting from Andrew Richardson shortly after becoming the first qualifying player to win the US Open Championship in September.
Looking for someone with more experience in WTA travel and Beltz is invaluable, working with Kerber over the years with Croatian Donna Vekic.
“He’s worked with Kerber, who is a great player and has won three Grand Slams,” said Raducanu, who has only played five tours and one stage tour, in addition to Wimbledon at the US Open.
“I think the experience of helping less experienced people, can help guide me through it, which is something I believe in.
“He’s also a nice guy and a sweetheart who gives the team a lot of energy, and I think that’s also important when you’re on the road for a while during the ride.”
Raducanu “boasts” as a time for stargazing approaches
Raducanu couldn’t control the power and accuracy of qualifier Wang in the first set at Linz before preparing to turn the game into a competition.
England’s first points tally changed again after injury and the third configuration is still a match.
Raducanu broke 5-4 and needed long-term treatment on the court before fighting two games to get back to 5-5.
But Raducanu lost his job again, having sought other treatment on his behalf, unable to hold off the third game as Wang sealed a career-high win that lasted 15 minutes.
“I thought Xinyu played well, especially in the first set, and I’m proud of how I fought to try and get back into the game,” said Raducanu.
“Everything went well and he played well, so it’s a big compliment to keep that level on the pitch.
In the third set, I had a hip spasm in the first half of the match and from there, I struggled just to try to stay there.”
