Emma Raducanu has looked strong thus far in Nottingham and is favoured to get through to the last four this afternoon against fellow Briton, Francesca Jones.
Straight-sets wins over Ena Shibahara and Daria Snigur have hinted at some real form from the 2021 US Open champion, with her serve looking especially strong in an excellent display against the Ukrainian in the last 16.
Raducanu still has a long way to go to truly enter the conversation for Wimbledon singles title next month, however she will be targeting a victory in Nottingham and a first tour win since that famous fortnight at Flushing Meadows three years ago.
“I’ve been working on every part of my game but the serve is very important,” Raducanu said after her victory over Snigur.
”I don’t look at the speed gun but when I raise my game it’s nice to get a couple of free points.
”At the start of the year, I didn’t manage to get that. When playing the top opponents like Iga [Swiatek] or Aryna [Sabalenka] then you need a first serve.”
Her opponent this afternoon has already been on court this afternoon, wrapping up victory over USA’s Ashlyn Krueger first up this morning.
Jones, currently 214th in the world, has six ITF titles to her name and will be the heavy underdog against Raducanu here.
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.
