Watch: Emma Raducanu loses break point to a ball boy in a lighthearted exhibition match that involved a marriage proposal

Emma Raducanu is undoubtedly the success story of the year. Having jumped from World No. 338 to World No. 19 in a span of just four months, she’s now only the fifth British woman ever to reach the top 20 in the WTA rankings.

In a homecoming exhibition match, the 19-year-old faced Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania at a packed Royal Albert Hall in London. The atmosphere was electrifying as the crowd welcomed their young Grand Slam-winning champion for the first time since her great run at the 2021 Wimbledon in July.

Even though the match ended in straight-sets 6-3, 7-6(3) in Raducanu's favor, it was filled with amusing moments, beginning with a marriage proposal from a young fan who shouted, "Emma will you marry me?," during a tense moment in the first set.

Later, when it looked like Raducanu was sailing towards a comfortable 6-1 win in the opening set, Ruse handed her racket to a ball boy and asked him to take her place on the court to receive Raducanu’s serve.

In a sudden turn of events, the US Open champion lost that game to the ball boy, losing a break point and tumbling down from a 30-40 lead to settle at 5-2. Raducanu was forced to play two more games before finishing the first set 6-3.

Towards the end of the match, which involved a lot of back and forth chatter from both players, Ruse joked, "I'm not going to be friends with you anymore," reacting to a splendid winner that Raducanu had smashed past her.

"Honour to play at such an iconic venue": Emma Raducanu

Emma Raducanu interacting with the press after her match At The Royal Albert Hall

Speaking to the press about her first match at the Royal Albert Hall, the teenage superstar called it an "iconic venue" and recalled a fond memory.

Raducanu said, "It's such an iconic venue. When I was 6 years old I came and watched the singles matches here and all I wanted to see was Mansour Bahrami hold five balls in his hand at once."

The Champions of Tennis exhibition event is officially a part of the ATP Champions Tour — a series of tournaments designed primarily to offer fans a chance to see former professionals and popular current players in action.

The event is set to relocate to a new venue next year. Raducanu and Ruse were joined by Greg Rusedski, trick-shot specialist Mansour Bahrami, former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanišević, former world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, Spain's David Ferrer, 2006 Australian Open runner-up Marcos Baghdatis, and former doubles number four player Radek Štěpánek for the final showdown at the Royal Albert Hall.

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