British No 2 Emma Raducanu edged a magnificent win over 9th-seeded Emma Navarro in a 3rd-set breaker to reach the Last 32 at the Miami Open presented by Itaú on Friday.
I actually was just, like, `If I'm going to go out, I'm not going to let her take me out – at least I'll put everything on it'. I know that's how I'm most successful is when I'm taking the shots early, and really going for it. It's just a better feeling, in a way, to not have any regrets. Even when I was going for it, and missing certain drive volleys, for example, in big moments after a very long point, as frustrating as it is, I knew I was doing the right thing. Emma Raducanu
There were tears in the 22-year-old’s eyes after her 7-6(6) 2-6 7-6(3) win over the World No 10 that almost reached the 3-hour mark.
“Yeah, it was a lot of emotions when I won,” Raducanu told reporters in her post-match press conference. “I know I won the US Open, but I think having been through so much in the last few years, it’s like the wins now mean so much more.”
Raducanu won the US Open in 2021, winning a total of 10 matches to become the first qualifier of either gender to lift the trophy at the tender age of 18.
She became a global superstar overnight and signed deals worth tens of millions of dollars that only served to increase the pressure created by her stunning achievement.
She cracked the Top 10 in the summer of 2022, but a series of debilitating injuries followed, and in 2023, Raducanu endured surgeries on both wrists and an ankle.
Her absence from the tour saw her ranking plummet to No 285, while her coaching situation became unstable as she parted ways with 8 mentors since winning in New York.
She recently confirmed that she had parted ways with yet another coach, Vladimir “Vlado” Platenik, after a 2-week trial, and has turned to a couple of familiar faces to give her some advice at the Miami Open.
Jane O’Donoghue has worked with Raducanu infrequently in recent years and answered the call from the 22-year-old to join her in Miami in her coaching box, while former British Davis Cup player and respected broadcaster Mark Petchey has also joined the team after he worked with the youngster prior to her iconic US Open win.
Having friendly faces around her may be the best option for Raducanu right now after she lived through a worrying experience in Dubai after what was described as a “fixated fan” was removed from the stands of her match against Karolina Muchova.
She has had plenty of ups and downs in her career in the interim, but in a marathon 2 hour 53 minute battle on Friday, she answered any doubts about her grit with a 3-set win.
“Today, I completely left everything on the court,” she said. “I think there were moments in the third set I thought I was completely down, completely out. I didn’t see a way back from it, to be honest, physically, but then I managed to, I don’t know where, find a source of energy from, and I think I was running on adrenaline.
“She got so many balls back. I mean, I had to win every single point out there. She didn’t really give me anything. I’m really proud of how I fought,” she added.
Emma Navarro served for the match against Emma Raducanu but was beaten in the 3rd-set breaker.
© Al Bello/Getty Images
Last year, Navarro played more 3-set matches, 35 in all, and won 24, more than any other player on tour, and she loves a good, long fight.
The 23-year-old American had won 6 of 7 matches this year that went the distance, but Raducanu, playing with confidence reminiscent of her 2021 form, stayed with her long enough to edge the win.
There were patches in the match, Raducanu said, where she was playing too defensively, but in the big moments in the third set and that last tiebreak, she made the decision ‘to go for it’.
“I actually was just, like, `If I’m going to go out, I’m not going to let her take me out – at least I’ll put everything on it’,” she said. “I know that’s how I’m most successful is when I’m taking the shots early, and really going for it. It’s just a better feeling, in a way, to not have any regrets.
“Even when I was going for it and missing certain drive volleys, for example, in big moments after a very long point, as frustrating as it is, I knew I was doing the right thing.”
Currently ranked 60th in the world, Raducanu matched Navarro in a tight start before her intensity dropped in the second set.
Ahead of the decider, the Brit had both feet taped, presumably to help fend off the onset of blisters, and when she faced more break points at 1-3 down, it seemed as if the American would wrap up the win pretty quickly, but Raducanu clung on to her serve and played more aggressively as Navarro became edgy.
It was an epic, topsy-turvy battle, and despite almost going a double-break down, Raducanu won 4 games on the trot to serve for the match at 5-3, but she was broken again after producing errors with a backhand drive into the net and a double-fault.
The way in which she reset again after losing 3 successive games, though, was impressive, as she dominated again with her quality returning.
She stopped Navarro serving it out at 6-5 before regrouping admirably and holding her nerve to dominate the final set tiebreak.
Raducanu sealed the deal with a ripping forehand winner on her 2nd match point, breaking into a beaming smile, and clasping the peak of her hat in disbelief.
This is only the 3rd win of Raducanu’s career against a Top 10 player, and her first on a hard court.
Emma Raducanu speaks to the media on Day 4 of the Miami Open at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
© Rich Storry/Getty Images
Asked where it ranked among her best performances this season, she told Sky Sports: “It’s number one – because Emma is a Top 10 opponent, and I haven’t beaten one this year.
“The match wasn’t pretty, but I had to fight, scrap and be aggressive.
“I would say not necessarily more in terms of [the US Open] magnitude, but I would say, emotionally, just a lot more aware of all of the suffering as well,” Raducanu continued. “Because, you know, when I won the US Open, I just won 10 matches in straight sets.
“I mean, I didn’t have, like, the losses, the downs, the months of, like, losing streaks. I think to come out of it now, it does, yeah.”
The win sees Raducanu rise to No 54 in the live rankings, and further wins will see further advancements back towards the Top 10.
Raducanu’s next challenge is American McCartney Kessler, who turned defence into offence in stunning fashion when she finished her 2nd-round match with a delicate backhand slice to upset Linda Noskova, the 30th seed from Czechia, 2-6 7-5 7-6(4), after a 2 hour 7 minute contest.
