At the Italian Open in Rome, Coco Gauff decisively defeated Emma Raducanu, securing her spot in the quarter-finals.
Despite moments of skill on the clay court, Raducanu couldn`t match the intensity of the fourth seed, Gauff, who won the match 6-1, 6-2 in 80 minutes.
This match is expected to be Raducanu`s last competitive outing before the French Open begins on May 25th, the second major tournament of the year.
Speaking after the match, Raducanu commented on the difficulty, citing challenging conditions, including wind, a different court surface, and high bounce. She acknowledged Gauff`s strong performance, saying she understood why Gauff is ranked world No. 3. Raducanu admitted she felt `outplayed` but was ready to focus on improving.
Gauff, who recently finished as a finalist at the Madrid Open, the preceding WTA 1000 event, is scheduled to play against either Clara Tauson or Mirra Andreeva in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.
Gauff described her performance as `definitely an A`, noting the challenging, windy conditions.
She praised Raducanu as a difficult opponent regardless of the surface and expressed satisfaction with her own play. Gauff feels her game is improving and views her Madrid Open final appearance as positive progress, hoping to `redeem` herself in Rome after that loss.
Gauff Capitalizes on Raducanu`s Missed Opportunities
Playing on the Grand Stand Arena, Gauff had a shaky start with a double fault but recovered to win the first game and quickly found her rhythm despite the wind.
Raducanu struggled to adapt to the conditions early on, making several errors that led to Gauff securing a break. Raducanu then missed a chance to break back immediately following a weak drop shot from Gauff.
The British player showed resilience, saving a break point to hold her serve in the fourth game, but Gauff quickly regained control, breaking again before winning the first set 6-1.
In the final game of the first set, Raducanu showed more aggression, earning a break point after being 40-0 down, but Gauff successfully defended.
Raducanu held her opening service games in the second set, demonstrating improved tactics, but Gauff`s persistent defense forced errors from the Brit in the fifth game, giving the American a 3-2 advantage.
Again, Raducanu had an immediate opportunity to break back. She hit a sequence of strong groundstrokes against Gauff on break point but ultimately missed a backhand down the line.
This proved to be a crucial moment. Gauff held her serve and then broke Raducanu again in the subsequent game to secure the victory.
Sabalenka Books Quarter-final Spot
In other action, World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka also advanced to the quarter-finals in Rome, defeating Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 7-6(8).
Sabalenka dominated the first set, winning it in just 31 minutes. However, Kostyuk put up a stronger fight in the second, breaking Sabalenka to lead 5-3.
Sabalenka immediately broke back to love. Both players then exchanged breaks again, leading to a tiebreak.
Kostyuk saved a match point and had a chance to win the set serving at 7-6 in the tiebreak, but Sabalenka won four of the final five points to claim the set and the match.
Sabalenka, who lost in last year`s final to Iga Swiatek, is seeking her first Italian Open title. She will face eighth seed Zheng Qinwen in the quarter-finals.
Tim Henman Praises Raducanu`s Clay Court Progress
Sky Sports Tennis commentator Tim Henman felt the match was closer than the score indicated and viewed Raducanu`s performance in the tournament positively overall.
Henman observed that while the score appeared one-sided, several games were lengthy, and Gauff consistently found a way to win those key points.
He added that it wasn`t the result Raducanu wanted and that Gauff`s aggressive baseline play prevented Raducanu from dictating rallies.
However, he highlighted Raducanu`s overall positive clay-court season and suggested the courts at Roland Garros, being `the best`, might suit her game even better.
Henman concluded that her game is developing positively, noting her rise to 42nd in the live rankings and considering whether she can reach the top 32 to be seeded for Wimbledon, which would offer early-round protection on grass.
