Raducanu, a home favourite, easily advances past Sakkari into the Wimbledon fourth round.

 

 

6/7/2024,

Unknown symbol Emma Raducanu defeated Greece's Maria Sakkari, ranked ninth, 6-2, 6-3 on Friday to decisively secure British representation in the second week of Wimbledon.

 

"I'm thrilled, naturally," Raducanu declared to the press after the game. "I believe I performed admirably in the contest. To be honest, I'm most satisfied with the level I performed on the court today. All I can think about is getting outside for the upcoming round."

Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, enthralled her home audience on Centre Court under a covered structure as she defeated ninth-ranked Sakkari in 1 hour and 32 minutes of play.

 

As 2021 Wimbledon champion and former World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty shrewdly pointed out during commentary, Raducanu successfully warded off all seven break points she faced in the match. On each of those seven instances, Raducanu's first serve was put into play.

Encore performance: As a 150th-ranked qualifier, Raducanu easily defeated Sakkari in the 2021 US Open quarterfinals, leaving fond memories of their one prior meeting. Raducanu became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam title when she defeated Leylah Fernandez in her subsequent encounter.

 

Raducanu had never achieved a Top 10 victory before this week's close triumph over Jessica Pegula at Eastbourne, despite the run through New York City in 2021, which included the victory against Sakkari, who was ranked No. 18.

 

Now that she has defeated Sakkari on Friday as well, Raducanu has won her first two Top 10 matches in the last two weeks.

Getting up on the grass: Raducanu, who is currently ranked No. 135 in the world, is continuing her impressive run of form on the grass-court tour, which she missed in 2023 due to recuperating from surgeries and injuries.

 

Raducanu advanced to the Eastbourne quarterfinals by defeating Pegula after earning her first semifinal of the year on Nottingham's grounds.

 

Former World No. 10 Raducanu is currently in the second week of Wimbledon for the first time since she advanced to the Round of 16 in her main draw debut in 2021, the year before her incredible run for the US Open championship.

"Clearly, it's incredible," Raducanu remarked. "I believe that you perform your duties every day. You never know when it will be worthwhile and when the benefits will materialise.

"I believe it may be really challenging at times to stay in the present, keep working, get back up, and just keep doing your thing, especially after suffering a number of losses simply on a regular tour. You just never know when it will pay off, so you have to keep it in the back of your mind."The fact that a lot of the effort I've been doing has paid off and shown this week makes me very happy."

 

As a result, the British this week have added another feather to their cap by sending three ladies to the third round for the first time since 1984, forty years ago. Sonay Kartal, a qualifier, lost to No. 2 Coco Gauff on Friday,

However, Harriet Dart is still eligible to play Raducanu in tomorrow's Round of 16.

 

roaring victory Raducanu, although trailing by double game points in each of the opening games of the match, set the tone for the wet Friday battle early on.

Raducanu, who had already taken an early break, dominated the opening set, breaking for 5-2 with a brilliant lob. In the following game, Raducanu saved two break points to escape another trap and take a one-set lead.

 

Similar circumstances prevailed in the second set, when Raducanu took a 2-1 lead and went on to consolidate for a 3-1 victory by saving two more break points with crucial first serves.

 

Sakkari misspelt Raducanu's third match point, which she converted at 5-3.

 

Awaiting the qualification Sun: World No. 123, a qualifier who has recently seen her own breakthrough run over the past two weeks, will be Raducanu's next opponent. From New Zealand, Lulu Sun. Sun overcame Zhu Lin earlier on Friday, winning 7-6(4), 7-6(6), and surviving two set chances in the tiebreak in the second set. Sun had stated earlier on Friday, "I would be super happy to be able to have that opportunity to play against [Raducanu], such a great athlete."

 

"She's obviously been far in the Grand Slams before, and she's, I'm pretty sure, Wimbledon's favourite since she's from here."

Before her incredible upset over Zheng Qinwen, ranked eighth, in the opening round of this tournament, Sun had never won a Grand Slam main-draw match. The 23-year-old is now the first female player from New Zealand to go to the Grand Slam Round of 16 since Belinda Cordwell, 35 years ago, reached the semifinals of the Australian Open.

"I wasn't expecting to be here at this stage, but I've just been playing match-by-match," Sun stated. "Yeah, here I am," she laughed as she concluded.