Aryna Sabalenka fights back to overcome spirited Emma Raducanu at Wimbledon

Aryna Sabalenka defeated Emma Raducanu 7-6(6), 6-4—saving set points in the first set—to advance to the fourth round of Wimbledon. The world No. 1 survived a rollercoaster match, finding a strong run of consecutive games at the end to secure her spot in the second week at the All England Club.

The world No. 1 continues to show her great consistency in Grand Slam tournaments—reaching the second week for the 11th consecutive time. She achieves 15 major tournament victories in 2025—more than any other player—and will face Elise Mertens for a spot in the quarterfinals.

The match began with Sabalenka struggling on serve from the very first game, where she had to save a break point. An energized Raducanu showed her strengths and gained an advantage by securing a break, putting her up 4-2. However, two games later, Sabalenka broke back and took the lead at 5-4.

At that point, a long 22-point game unfolded, in which Raducanu saved seven set points before holding her serve. The set ultimately went to a tie-break after breaks from both sides towards the end. Raducanu recovered from a mini-break down and even had a set point at 6-5, but she squandered it, and Sabalenka narrowly took the set 7-6(8-6).

The second set started competitively, with an animated Raducanu, who had the crowd entirely on her side. The Brit was rewarded with a break that put her up 4-1. However, she began to fade as Sabalenka fought her way back into the match.

The world No. 1 took control in the final part of the match, securing two consecutive breaks and serving without problems. The Belarusian ultimately closed out the victory with five games in a row, winning 7-6(6), 6-4.