"It takes a little pressure off the results" - Emma Raducanu credits hard work for outstanding run to DC Open semifinals
WTA
After months of floundering on the WTA Tour, Emma Raducanu appears to be rejuvenated as she powered through to the semifinals of the 2025 DC Open.
The British star defeated former World No.3 Maria Sakkari in their quarterfinal encounter, recording a clinical 6-4 7-5 win to advance to the final four. Raducanu will face the winner between Clara Tauson and Anna Kalinskaya for a spot in her first WTA final since winning the 2021 US Open.
Following her triumph at Flushing Meadows four years ago, Raducanu has been through a slump. The former World No.10 has dealt with knee and ankle injuries that required surgery, in addition to cycling through numerous coaches in just a few years on tour.
Nonetheless, Raducanu has looked impressive at the DC Open. The 22-year old defeated seventh seed Marta Kostyuk and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka en route to the quarterfinals, and is yet to drop a set this week in Washington.
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Her work behind the scenes is paying off, says Raducanu
Holding a 3-0 lead in career meetings against Sakkari, Raducanu was the favorite to emerge victorious. However, the Greek star did not go down without a fight, forcing her British opponent to execute an almost perfect game in order to advance to the semifinal.
Raducanu was full of praise for Sakkari after the match. Furthermore, the former US Open champion revealed she was proud of all the extra work she does during her training and practice sessions. These grueling periods are starting to pay off, leaving Raducanu's confidence at an all-time high.
"I think my confidence has been building since Miami," said Raducanu in her post-match interview. "The amount of work I’m doing behind the scenes, to have that in the locker & banked, you know you’ve done it, it takes a little pressure off the results."
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SEMI-FINALS!!! @EmmaRaducanu 🔥🌸
— LTA (@the_LTA) July 25, 2025
Emma defeats Maria Sakkari 6-4, 7-5 to make the final four of the @mubadalacitidc Open #BackTheBrits 🇬🇧 | @WTA pic.twitter.com/0jyAfOJxkk
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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