Emma Raducanu reaches Wimbledon last-16 in style as she claims major scalp
Emma Raducanu moved into the last-16 of Wimbledon with an utterly assured straight-sets win over Maria Sakkari in a Centre Court match which reminded the British public why they fell in love with her.
Earlier this year Raducanu said she was "mentally and emotionally exhausted" and had lost the love of tennis. She had endured a miserable 2023, with wrist and ankle surgeries testing her will to simply keep pursuing the dream of professional tennis.
She "rekindled her love of tennis" in the weeks before Wimbledon, reaching the semi-final at the Nottingham Open and the quarter-final at Eastbourne, and has hit form at the perfect time. Sakkari is the No.9 seed at Wimbledon and a tricky prospect for the best, let alone a player ranked 135th in the world, like Raducanu.
Yet Raducanu is no normal world No.135. The former US Open champion flew out of the blocks on Friday evening, breaking her Greek opponent in the first game and never looking back. Her confidence shone through as she showed the composure of a seasoned professional.
The 6-2 scoreline in the opening set wasn't as straightforward as it looked, with Raducanu saving five break points spread across three separate service games. But the manner in which she saved them stood out: there were no visible signs of nerves, instead she seemed to be relishing the pressure that is inherant with a supportive home crowd.
After a Sakkari double-fault set up a break point, she gleefully accepted, pulling out an inch-perfect lob which dropped onto the baseline and drew a roar from the crowd. Her own double-fault appeared to have offered Sakkari a route back in, but no: a powerful first serve then a booming forehand into the corner and they were gone.
The second set continued in a similar vein, with Sakkari broken in her second service game, seemingly unable to stop the tide of positivity coming from across the net. And, again, when the shoe was on the other foot, Sakkari couldn't take advantage.
Raducanu was under huge pressure in the fourth game of the second set, with a few poor backhand slices setting up break points. Yet, when it mattered, she came good, producing an ace to save one before landing another huge serve out wide to cancel out another and go 3-1 up. In all, she saved seven out of seven break points against her.
With the roof on and the rain hammering down above, she struggled with her ball toss, but never let that break her concentration. There was a fall, too, on the slippery grass, yet that proved to be just a minor bump in the road to victory as she won on her third match point.
"I really enjoyed myself," she confirmed post-match. Harriet Dart remains in the women's singles after beating British No.1 Katie Boulter in the second round. But it is Raducanu who has most captivated the fans and looks back to her best.
Story by Felix Keith: Mirror