- Raducanu beat the No 9 seed 6-2, 6-3 on Centre Court on Friday evening
- Briton has been in towering form during her first three rounds in SW19 this year
- 21-year-old said after the match that it was the ‘most fun’ she had on a court
We are excitable folk in Great Britain around this time of the summer, and watching Emma Raducanu in this form should come with a health warning.
The 21-year-old sent the nation’s heartrate climbing with a breath-taking performance under the Centre Court roof to beat No9 seed Maria Sakkari and move into the last 16 of Wimbledon.
Raducanu said recently she had shut out external expectation. Well, whatever mental gymnastics she performed, it is time to get the brain back on the pommel horse because expectations are about to go into overdrive.
Raducanu beat Sakkari in the semi-final of her US Open title win in 2021 and did so once more – again for the loss of just five games, 6-2, 6-3. After a first career win over a top-10 player – Jessica Pegula in Eastbourne – another arrived like a south-west London bus.
And, as in New York, Raducanu’s draw is opening up like a well-shucked oyster. Her fourth-round clash is against qualifier Lulu Sun, the world No123. The next truly big beast she could face would be fellow US Open champion and world No2 Coco Gauff in the semi-finals.
Raducanu said last month she has fallen back in love with tennis and, after a few rocky years when she has faced some mostly unfair criticism, it is fair to say the British public are head over heels again. ‘C’mon Emma,’ they cried – and even ‘C’mon Radders,’ which sounds like a name on the back of a stag do T-shirt.
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‘I think today was really up there with the most fun I’ve had on a tennis court,’ said the world No 135 after making a mockery of that ranking. ‘I really enjoyed every single moment. I was telling myself: you don’t know how many times you are going to get the chance in your life to play in front of a full Centre Court. I’m really grateful for the support.’
The fun doesn’t stop here, with Raducanu back in action this evening in the mixed doubles with a certain Andy Murray. Slightly surprisingly that was placed not on Centre but No1 Court. It is the fourth match on and Raducanu said: ‘The scheduling of that was not ideal.’
She seemed to be referring to the fact it might clash with England v Switzerland at the Euros, but Raducanu’s team will no doubt be more concerned by the prospect of her finishing extremely late on Saturday before her fourth round on Sunday.
But Raducanu believes she will be ‘inspired’ by playing with Murray and, although she has three times this week namechecked Carlos Alcaraz as someone whose style she would like to emulate, to my eye there is much in her grass-court game that echoes her new doubles partner.
First, the defensive skills. Raducanu was often on the back foot against the muscular Sakkari but was usually able to find a skiddy slice or looping forehand to take the sting out of the point.
Her double-handed backhand is a truly world-class weapon and the improvement in her slice on that wing has been dramatic.
But the most impressive and Murray-esque element of Raducanu’s display against Sakkari was the brutality with which she attacked the second serve, restricting the Athenian to just 27 per cent of those points won.
The impact of that sustained assault was evidenced when Sakkari served to stay in the match. At deuce she missed the first serve and Raducanu strode forward into a more aggressive position, slapping her thigh and practically pawing the ground with intent.
Having seen so many of her second serves disappear past her, Sakkari went for too much and double faulted. Another forehand was dragged wide and Raducanu was bouncing around the court in delight.
For the second round in a row Raducanu’s entire match was played under the roof, as rain fell most of the day. After her previous win Raducanu was asked if she preferred playing with the roof on or off. She said she liked the way the crowd’s cheers bounce off the roof but it suits her from a tennis standpoint, too: she struggles more than most in the wind, and quicker indoor conditions help equalize her power against the bigger hitters – such as Sakkari.
‘I’m most proud of how I was just so focused, determined in every single moment,’ said Raducanu. ‘Playing Maria, she’s a top-10 player, so it felt like I had a free swing.’
Raducanu’s next match is far from a free swing. She will be the heavy favourite against Sun, who had won only four tour-level matches in her career before this week.
But first, a spot of mixed doubles. ‘I’ll take direction, follow his lead,’ said Raducanu. ‘I think I have to do a crash course in doubles tonight but I’ll have fun tomorrow. It’s just such an honour.’