Playing in just her 10th WTA match at the age of 18, Emma Raducanu has rewritten the record books with a clinical display to reach the quarter-finals of the US Open.
The British qualifier stormed past Shelby Rogers 6-2, 6-1, just two days after the American knocked world No.1, Ash Barty, out of the tournament. Raducanu, who is now on a seven-match winning streak, spurred herself on with shouts of ‘come on’ throughout the 67-minute encounter. Her ability to hit the ball fast and deep proved too much for Rogers to handle as she fired three aces and 18 winners to become only the third qualifier to reach the last eight of the US Open women’s draw.
“It feels absolutely amazing to play in front of all of you and Shelby is a great opponent,” Raducanu said during her on-court interview. “She has done so well at the US Open and she has had a great week. So I knew it was going to be a tough match but I’m so happy I managed to come through and overcome some of the nerves at the beginning.”
Playing in the Arthur Ashe stadium for the first time in her career, Raducanu never looked to be intimidated. Perhaps this was due to the experience she went through at Wimbledon where she was forced to withdraw from her fourth round match due to breathing difficulties. An aggressive playing Rogers started the better of the two as she worked her way to a 2-0 lead before Raducanu dictated proceedings in an emphatic fashion.
Winning six consecutive games, the teenager closed out the opening set in just 38 minutes. Stunning her the American world No.43 who is a two-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist herself. Raducanu’s relentless approach to the match overwhelmed a flat Rogers who appeared lost on the court as she failed to come up with a way to battle back. It took the Brit a mere 17 minutes to open up a 5-0 in the second set as she closed in on a milestone victory. Rogers prevented getting bagelled but it only delayed the inevitability of a win for Raducanu. Serving for the victory, she prevailed on her fourth match point after a Rogers forehand slammed into the net.
Raducanu has been in ruthless form throughout the entire tournament and has only dropped 13 games in four main draw matches played. Rogers was the fourth top 50 player she had beaten on the Tour with all of those victories occurring at a Grand Slam. The rising star is only the second British woman to reach the last 16 of multiple majors before the age of 19. The first was Sue Barker during the 1970s.
The youngster joins fellow rising stars Carlos Alcaraz and Leylah Fernandez in reaching the last eight of the tournament in what has been a breakout event for the next generation of the sport. Alcaraz and Fernandez played their matches on Sunday which seemed to have inspired the Brit.
“It definitely plays a part in motivation. I wanted to join them as well. But everyone is on their own trajectory and I’m just so happy to have been able to focus on my game and into the quarter-finals,” she said.
In the next round, Raducanu will take on Belinda Bencic for a place in the semi-finals. The Swiss player beat Iga Swiatek in straight sets and has won 13 out of the last 14 matches played on the Tour.
“Belinda is a great player who is in great form so I know I am going to have to bring it on Wednesday. It’s just going to be who can dictate,” she said of her next opponent.
“I am not really thinking about tennis right now. I will leave that until tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, Bencic admits that she is under no illusion of the potential threat she faces against Raducanu who is the youngest British woman to go this deep at the tournament since Christine Truman in 1959.
“She’s up and coming and an amazing talent. I didn’t see much yet how she played, but what I saw is definitely she’s very athletic, she’s moving great, and, I mean, she has great results,” Bencic told reporters during her press conference.
Regardless of what happens in the next round, Raducanu will rise up the rankings to inside the world’s top 80. A staggering position for a player who started 2021 in 345th place.
