Emma Raducanu recovered from a set down to move into the last 16 of the Italian Open after beating an opponent who she believes tried to ‘throw her off’ with a medical time out.
The former US Open champion won 12 out of the last 13 games of her match against Veronika Kudermetova, whom she beat 5-7, 6-0, 6-1. After also beating Maya Joint and Jil Teichmann earlier in the draw, it is the first time Raducanu has won three consecutive matches at a WTA event on the clay in her career.
“The best thing about today was recovering after losing the first set and having served for it,” Raducanu told Sky Sports Tennis.
“I felt under pressure on Veronica’s returns. She was literally redlining everything, and it was all going in, and I was like, I don’t know where to serve. It’s not a nice feeling to have.
“I’m so happy with how I didn’t let the rest of the match get away with me. I think that’s big progress compared to maybe the matches I played in the past.”
In a match of two halves, Raducanu struggled throughout the opener, getting broken three times. One of those breaks was when she was serving for the set at 5-4. Then in the next two sets, she only faced one break point as her opponent started to struggle on the court.
To add to the drama, Kudermetova took a medical time out when down 0-5 in the middle set. Something Raducanu believes was done to disrupt her momentum.
“It was difficult, but luckily I was 5-0 up when she took the time-out. I kind of knew it was to try and throw me off,” Raducanu commented.
“I kind of kept my cool and luckily I had a good cushion and served it out. In the third set, I was really on it. It’s hard after serving for the first set. It doesn’t just slip out of your mind, you do refer back to it even if you’re going into the third set. I’m really happy with how I re-focused.”
While admitting there is still room for improvement in her current game, Raducanu says one of the aspects she is happiest with is the variety in her shotmaking.
Perhaps the best measurement of current her level will take place during her next match against Coco Gauff. Raducanu is yet to defeat a top 20 player on the clay in her career at a WTA event, with her record currently standing at 0-2. Both of those defeats were to Iga Swiatek at the Stuttgart Open in 2022 and 2024.
“I’m playing pretty good tennis right now, and she is going to be a great test,” Raducanu said of Gauff.
“She’s made the final of the French Open, so she’s great on this surface.
“I’m just gonna keep focused.”
Should Raducanu beat Gauff, she will become the first British woman to reach the quarterfinals in Rome since Johanna Konta in 2019.
