Emma Raducanu’s offensive at Wimbledon is gaining momentum after she dropped just five games against Maria Sakkari in the third round on Friday.
The Brit looked as if she was the higher-ranked player on Center court as she stormed to a 6-2, 6-3, win over Sakkari, who was seeded ninth in the draw. It is only the second time she has beaten a player currently ranked in the world’s top 10. Her first triumph was over Jessica Pegula last month, which also occurred on the grass. She has dropped just 17 games in three matches played so far this week.
“I think I’ve been just tracking nicely,” Raducanu said of her recent form. “I think everything I’ve been doing has just accumulated. Match by match I’ve grown in confidence.
“I was getting to certain shots today (against Sakkari) that I didn’t think I would get to usually. It’s a pleasant surprise.
“I think that everything in general is just a result of all the hard work I’ve been doing.”
Currently playing some of the best tennis of her career, Raducanu’s run is being compared to her triumph at the 2021 US Open when she won the title as a qualifier. Since then, her progression on the Tour has been a roller-coaster experience due to various injury setbacks hampering her progress. Last year, she missed the second half of the season following wrist and ankle surgeries.
“It was really painful last year coming here (to Wimbledon) and not being able to compete, being on the other side of it. Ithink that feeling has been pulling me through a lot this week,” she explains.
“Just remembering how I felt then, bringing it back to the present.
“I’ve just been having so much fun that I really just want to stay. I don’t want to go home. It’s a good, different type of motivation.”
Heading into the fourth round, Raducanu will be the favourite against Lulu Sun. A 24-year-old qualifier who switched nationalities from Switzerland to New Zealand (where she was born) earlier this year. At Wimbledon, Sun knocked out world No.8 Zheng Qinwen to claim her first completed victory over a top 100 player!
The focus of British fans are on Raducanu once again, even though there is another home player left in the women’s draw.Harriet Dart will play her third round match on Saturday. On the men’s side, Cameron Norriw is flying the flag on his own.
“I love playing on the big courts. For me, I thrive on such occasions,” she states.
“It’s something that I play tennis for. I just love the feeling of it, competing, especially here in front of a home crowd. It is really amazing.”
Raducanu is the second-youngest British woman to beat a top 10 player at a Grand Slam over the past four decades. Theyoungest to do so was Laura Robson who beat Li Na at the 2012 US Open.
