Emma Raducanu has advanced to the last 16 of the Italian Open in Rome, setting up a highly anticipated match against American fourth seed Coco Gauff. This follows Raducanu`s hard-fought three-set victory over Veronika Kudermetova on Saturday.
Earlier in the tournament, Raducanu had defeated young Australian Maya Joint and breezed past lucky loser Jil Teichmann to reach the third round.
Despite losing a lengthy opening set, Raducanu displayed remarkable resilience and came back strongly, hitting numerous winners against Kudermetova, a former top-10 player.
She dominated the latter part of the match, winning 12 of the final 13 games to secure a 5-7, 6-0, 6-1 victory. The contest, played on the new SuperTennisArena at the Foro Italico, lasted just over two-and-a-half hours.
With her coach Mark Petchey and mentor Jane O`Donoghue in attendance, Raducanu settled into her game and secured her place in the last 16 against Coco Gauff, a former French Open finalist.
Raducanu Reflects on Her Win
Reflecting on the match, the 22-year-old Raducanu highlighted her ability to recover after losing the first set, despite having served for it.
“The most pleasing part of today was recovering after losing the first set having served for it,” she stated. “I think I threw in a pretty poor game at 5-4 serving but I felt under pressure on Veronika`s returns – she was literally red-lining everything and it was all going in and I was like `I don`t know where to serve` and it`s not a nice feeling to have.”
She expressed satisfaction with how she maintained control subsequently:
“I`m so happy with how I didn`t let the rest of the match get away with me. I think that`s a big progress compared to maybe the matches I played in the past.”
Raducanu also discussed staying focused during Kudermetova`s medical timeout in the second set.
“It was difficult, but luckily I was 5-0 up,” she acknowledged. “I kind of knew it was to try and throw me off, but at the same time, I kept my cool. Luckily I had a good cushion, I served it out, and then from the third set I was really on it.”
Against a former world No. 9 opponent, Raducanu was pleased with the variety she incorporated into her game.
“I was able to return from two different positions, up and back, which is new. I think I adopted the back in the last two matches, and it`s helped me just get into the point and put me into a better position on the fourth ball, but I still think I can be better out of the corners.”
Looking Ahead to Gauff Match
Looking ahead to her upcoming match against former US Open champion Coco Gauff for a spot in the quarter-finals, Raducanu called Gauff “a great competitor.”
“I think I`m playing pretty good tennis right now and she is going to be a great test. She`s made the final of the French Open and so she`s great on this surface. I`m just going to keep focused but savour this one for now.”
In her third-round match, fourth seed Gauff had earlier defeated Magda Linette with a score of 7-5, 6-3.
Elsewhere in the tournament, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka also advanced, coming back from a set down to beat Sofia Kenin 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Annabel Croft`s Analysis
Tennis pundit Annabel Croft commented on Raducanu`s performance, praising her return of serve.
“She loves return of serve and she times it so beautifully. She really feels confident. She really goes after it and nails it.”
Croft also mentioned Raducanu`s ongoing work on her split-step, comparing it to the mastery of Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic. She concluded by highlighting the variety in Raducanu`s game and her strong competitive spirit.
“There was a lot of variety in her game today. I think she competes so well.”
