On Thursday, 2021 Wimbledon champion Emma Raducanu picked up a big win over Naomi Osaka in the Round of 16 at the Citi Open.
After upsetting No. 7-seeded Marta Kostyuk in straight sets on Tuesday (7-6, 6-4), Raducanu kept the momentum rolling in DC with a straight-set win over Osaka, who struggled to find her form despite a convincing straight-set win of her own in the first round.
While Osaka struggled to find her form, Raducanu showed the same high level of play that she displayed in her third-round Wimbledon clash with world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka earlier this month.
After the match, the former world No. 10 spoke about the win with Sky Sports Tennis during her on-court interview:
“I felt it was going to be a really difficult match. Naomi’s won 4 Slams, she’s been world No. 1, won Masters, she’s so dangerous. On hard courts, I think she’s particularly comfortable, so I knew I was gonna have to play really well and manage my own service games, which I’m really proud of how I did.”
Emma Raducanu Opens up on Finding Success in Her Service Games
Throughout the course of her match against Naomi Osaka, which lasted just under an hour and a half, Emma Raducanu notably played well throughout her service games.
In addition to double-faulting just once, Raducanu won all nine of her service games, 74% of her first serve points, and saved the only two break points she faced throughout the match.
Following the win, she spoke about her composure in big moments and her willingness to go big on second serves:
“If you float the second serve, then nobody’s gonna crunch it, and I’ll be behind in the point. So I had to trust my abilities on the second serve, and I went for it. And just the one double fault, I think, in the last service game. So pretty pleased with that.”
Raducanu will now collide with former world No. 3 Maria Sakkari on Friday in the quarterfinals, as both players look to reach their first semifinal of the season.
Looking at the Latest Scores From the Mubadala Citi DC Open
In addition to Emma Raducanu’s big win on Thursday, 2023 ATP Mubadala Citi DC Open winner Dan Evans suffered a stunning loss on the men’s side.
After picking up a straight-set win over No. 13-seeded Alex Michelsen on Tuesday, Evans lost to French standout Corentin Moutet in straight sets, bringing an end to his hopes of winning a second title.
Additionally, hard court specialist Daniil Medvedvev, who is in search of his first title in DC, picked up a straight-set win over Yibing Wu, who impressed with his Round of 32 win over Alexei Popyrin on Wednesday.
Thursday’s evening session will also notably see top-seeded American Jessica Pegula collide with Leylah Fernandez, while 14-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams will look to keep her momentum going against Magdalena Frech after a historic win over Peyton Stearns earlier in the week.
With plenty of action left to happen in DC, it’ll be interesting to see how things play out throughout the rest of the day.
Emma Raducanu Cruises Past Naomi Osaka in DC, Books Meeting With Maria Sakkari