Britain’s Emma Raducanu made it into the 4th round at Wimbledon for the second time in her career after upsetting World No 9 Maria Sakkari under the closed roof of Centre Court on Friday, but Sonay Kartal’s dream run came to an end, as she bowed out to 2nd-seeded Coco Gauff in her first appearance on No 1 Court.
In a repeat of the 2021 US Open semi-final, which she won 6-1 6-4, Raducanu played with confidence and freedom on Centre Court to come through against the Greek, 6-2 6-3, after an hour and 32 minutes.
It is the second Top 10 win of her career in just 2 weeks after the 21-year old beat World No 5 Jessica Pegula in Eastbourne.
“I think, today, is up there with the most fun I’ve had on a tennis court,” beamed Raducanu in her on-court interview afterwards. “I really enjoyed every single moment. I was just telling myself, how many times are you going to get to play in front of a full Centre Court?
“I’m most proud of that I was so focused, so determined in every single point, every single moment.
“I knew playing Maria, she’s a Top 10 opponent, in a way, I came in with a free swing, but she’s so tough, she has amazing weapons and I knew I had to battle and fight hard. I tried not to let the scoreline effect me. You have to play every point like its your last. Not to be dramatic, but…”
Ever since their New York semi-final, both have struggled to make an impact on the major stage, with injuries and surgeries denting Raducanu’s confidence, while Sakkari, who advanced to the 2022 Australian Open 4th round, has departed 9 Grand Slams in a row in week one.
Roducanu got off to quick starts in both of her opening matches at Wimbledon, and it was a similar story against the Greek, as the Brit raced out to a 2-0 lead before breaking again for 5-2 with an incredible backhand lob that sailed over the head of the 9th seed.
Sakkari was simply rushed by Raducanu’s low shot trajectory, but earlier had threatened a switch of momentum at 2-3 with another break chance, but the Brit raced to the right and launched a running forehand down the line.
The British wild-card was defiantly defending and counterpunching at an elite level, while the Greek was hampered by double-faults, 6 of them adding to her 31 unforced errors, as Raducanu ramped up the pressure on return.
The 21-year-old has been near perfect on serve this week, having only been broken once in her first 3 matches, and she again saved all 7 of 7 break points she faced against Sakkari.
On her first set point, the former US Open champion landed an un-returnable serve down the tee to take one step closer to the 4th round, and the current World No 135 took her chances in the big moments throughout, capitalising on 2 weaker second serves to set up and, eventually, convert on 2 break points at 1-1 in the second.
Sakkari pushed hard, but 2 further chances went begging as a ruthless Raducanu kept winning the mini-battles, and although the Greek rescued 2 match points on serve at 5-3, her 6th double-fault was followed by a loose forehand sent wide that sealed the win for the Brit.
Having saved match point on her way to defeating Pegula in Eastbourne late last month, and now posting her second win over a Top 10 player within the fortnight, Raducanu is rediscovering her joy for tennis and reaping its reward.
Currently ranked 135, Raducanu is maintaining her strong stretch of form over the grass-court swing, a portion of the year she missed in 2023 while recovering from injuries and surgeries, and she is set to return to the Top 100 at around No 92 after reaching the 4th round with another impressive win.
The boost ensures she can play the US Open as a direct entry, without needing to qualify or relying on a wild-card, and will also secure entry to more WTA-level tournaments.
Plus, Raducanu, who reached a career-high of No 10 in July 2022, has no points to defend for the rest of the season, and a jump towards the upper echelons of the rankings looks more than likely based on her current form.
There, Raducanu will play a New Zealand qualifier, Lulu Sun, next as she bids to reach the quarter-final for the first time.
Sun battled past Zhu Lin from China, 7-5(4) 7-6(6), after a minute over 2 hours out on Court 15, saving 2 set points in the second set breaker, and beating the rain that shut down the outdoor schedule late in the afternoon.
She becomes first New Zealander to play in the Wimbledon second week in the Open Era, and an appearance on a major show-court might prove a daunting affair for the 23-year old, ranked 123 in the world.
23-year old Sun, who was born in Te Anau in New Zealand’s south island to a Croatian father and a Chinese mother, has only officially represented New Zealand on tour since April this year, having previously played under the Swiss flag.
The family moved to Switzerland for her education when she was aged 5, and she is based in Geneva when not travelling for her career.
She largely represented Switzerland as a junior, and although she competed under the New Zealand flag at Wimbledon in 2018, the early stages of her career were as a Swiss player but now, after making her nationality switch official 3 months ago, she is representing the country in the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup qualifier round.
Her run at Wimbledon has propelled her up 49 places to a projected new high of 74 in the WTA Rankings, and she may not be done yet.
Raducanu, who has not dropped a set so far, told reporters: ”I only focus on who I’m playing next. I think that’s the best way to be. I think staying present in the moment is what got me this far. I’m not going to start changing anything.”
