Emma Raducanu recorded her first Top 10 win at the 2024 Eastbourne International and was very happy about it afterward.
The British player has been competing on the WTA Tour for three years now, but she had yet to beat a Top 10 opponent before overcoming Jessica Pegula at the WTA 500 tournament in Eastbourne.
Previously, Raducanu outplayed 12th-ranked Belinda Bencic en route to her US Open win, but she lost to the world no. 1, Iga Swiatek, three times, world no. 2, Aryna Sabalenka, and also to Ons Jabeur (6), Coco Gauff (7), and Pegula (8).
Now, she got revenge against the 30-year-old American, who is currently ranked 5th, when she outplayed her in Eastbourne. It was Raducanu’s first Top 10 win, and she did it in style, saving a match point in the process, so it’s not a surprise that she felt overwhelmed by emotions after the match.
“I am pretty drained right now but I just want to say thanks to everyone again for getting me through some really difficult moments in that match. It is incredibly difficult when you are playing someone so in form like Jessica. She came off the back of a great run in Berlin and no doubt she is feeling confident on the grass.”
The win was significant for the 21-year-old in many ways, as it showed her that she can win from every situation, even when facing a match point.
She called the victory ‘one of the more meaningful ones’ and hopes to add another ‘meaningful’ win in the quarter-finals when she faces Daria Kasatkina.
“I am really pleased with how I managed to navigate some really tough situations and I didn’t think I would be able to get myself out of it, so I would say this match is one of the more meaningful ones to me. I have been going through some stuff, so to come through has been really nice.”
