Emma
Raducanu (No. 89) defeated local star
Peyton Stearns (No. 51) 7-6, 6-2 to
advance to the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 Mubadala
DC Open. This is the
fourth time this year that the British player has reached the quarterfinals of
a tournament, securing a significant rise in the rankings to world No. 69.
The match
was interrupted during the first set due to rain and resumed after several
hours, initially complicating things for Raducanu. Nonetheless, the former US
Open champion emerged victorious against a tough opponent like Stearns and will
face the winner of Badosa vs. Samsonova tomorrow.
Raducanu battles through rain delay
From the
start, it was clear that Raducanu faced a challenging match against a rising
local talent. Both players began by defending their service games well, with
neither having full control of the points from the serve, constantly having to
save break points against them.
Raducanu
was the first to capitalize on her opportunity, breaking in the 5th game and
then maintaining her service games to keep the lead. The world No. 89 won 72%
of her first serve points throughout the set and 61% of her second serve
points.
Raducanu
was serving with the score at 5-4 (15-30) and had a chance to secure the first
set, but rain forced a suspension. After the lengthy break, Stearns took
advantage of the momentum to break back and level the score at 5-5. The set
went to a tie-break, where Raducanu wasted two set points before eventually
taking the set 7-6(6).
Emma Raducanu at Eastbourne International few weeks ago.
With the
advantage of the first set, the second part of the match saw clear dominance
from Raducanu, who broke early and went 3-0 up in under 10 minutes. Stearns
struggled with her second serve (winning only 38% of them), and Raducanu was
effective at crucial moments.
From then
on, the 2021 US Open champion faced little trouble with her service games.
Although Stearns kept pace, her issues with the first serve proved costly.
Raducanu took advantage of her second break opportunity in the set and closed
out the match 7-6(6), 6-2, advancing to the quarterfinals of the DC Open. Her
next opponent will be the winner between
Paula Badosa (No. 62) and third seed
Ludmilla Samsonova (No. 13).