‘There’s no pressure at all on me’ — Emma Raducanu to face World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka after impressive matches at Wimbledon

In a highly anticipated third-round match at this year’s Wimbledon, Emma Raducanu won against the tournament’s 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova with a final scoreline of 6-3, 6-3. With this, the young athlete will now face world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the next round. 

Raducanu recently came from a win against fellow Briton Mimi Xu in the opening round, and she seemed to be comfortable on Centre Court. With her impressive performance, she also overcame a tough battle against Vondrousova, who claimed the grass-court title in the Berlin Open. 

With her win, Raducanu admitted: “I think today I played really, really well… There were some points I have no idea how I turned around.” 

She added: “I knew playing Marketa it was going to be an extremely difficult match. She’s won this tournament and it’s a huge, huge achievement. I’m so happy with how I focused and put my game on the court.” 

Highlights of the match 

Emma Raducanu indeed upped her game by experimenting with the speed and angles of her shots. She then took the lead at 4-2 by hitting a backhand winner down the line to break Vondrousova’s serve. 

Raducanu lost her next service game immediately. However, Vondrousova made two double faults, and this helped Raducanu break serve again. Following this, Raducanu held her serve well and clinched the first set.

Raducanu kept it up in the second set, breaking Vondrousova’s serve once more to lead at 2-1. Vondrousova looked frustrated by Raducanu’s strategies and tactics, especially with the athlete’s backhand shots. Raducanu kept her serve strong and won the match. 

Now facing Sabalenka, Raducanu declared: “I’m just so happy I get to play another match here. (Sabalenka) is number one in the world, so dominant, has won literally everything. I’m just so happy how I performed. I guess there’s no pressure at all on me.” 

On social media, Raducanu expressed her gratitude to the people who stayed and supported her. She stated in her caption: “Means the world having these people by my side 🤍” 

Netizens also showed their support to the athlete in the comments section by saying: “Amazing job Emma! We’re all so proud of you! Keep going 💪🔥”, “So happy for you! So happy to see you happy. That’s what’s matters most”, “Emma is so beautiful. Keep fighting mate, fight as hard as you can, against the mighty Sabalenka please 🔥🔥🔥”, and “It’s so amazing to see you smile and laugh Emma. Great to see able to put some of the challenges behind you and recover. Well done on looking after yourself. 👍🏻”