Emma Raducanu is starting to show flashes of the brilliance that helped her win the US Open in 2021.
The Brit is putting on a good show at Eastbourne this week and it has come at the perfect time ahead of Wimbledon.
She knocked out former US Open winner Sloane Stephens to set up a tough clash with Jessica Pegula.
Pegula is ranked fifth in the world right now and is in some pretty good form herself.
The American won in the Grass Court Championships Berlin last week, so it was a great test to see where Raducanu was at.
Pegula took the first set, but Raducanu battled back to win the second on a tie break.
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Remarkably, that was the first time the Brit has ever taken a set off a top-10 player in her whole career.
She has won a Grand Slam, reached the fourth round of Wimbledon, beaten Serena Williams, been awarded an MBE… all before actually winning a set off a top-10 player.
The 21-year-old went one better than that too, she went on to claim a 4-6 7-6 7-5 victory – her first ever against a top-10 opponent.
That stat is blowing people’s minds on social media.
One person wrote on X: “Thats a mad stat for a Grand Slam champion.”
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Another said: “Stats that don’t feel real…”
The highest ranked person she beat at the US Open in 2021 was her quarter-final opponent Belinda Bencic, who was then ranked 12 in the world.
It is perhaps a reflection of where Raducanu is at the moment, admitting she is loving tennis more than she has done recently.
“I’m just really into it at the moment. I just love the sport, I love tennis,” said Raducanu. “It’s taken over me and I’ve really rekindled a light in the fire inside of me.
“I’m really grateful to have this feeling again because it’s something that I feel I’ve been missing in a way for the last few years and I haven’t felt this good about my tennis – just excited about it and passionate – for a long, long time.
“Now it’s really comforting for me because I’m way less focused on the result because I know with the way I’m training, the way I’m competing and fighting on the court, good things are 100 per cent going to happen.
“I have full faith and belief in that now and I can say it and mean it at the same time, rather than just saying it.”
It was a good day for the Brits at Eastbourne, as three women have made it through to the quarter-finals for the first time in 40 years.
Raducanu is joined by Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
