OHIO, U.S.A.: Emma Raducanu declared that she is proud of herself despite losing to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka after an intense third-round match at the Cincinnati Open.
The 22-year-old British athlete was defeated by the Belarusian with a final scoreline of 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 7-6 (7-5), in a match that lasted for three hours and nine minutes. Previously, both athletes also had a thrilling game at Wimbledon, in which Sabalenka won with a scoreline of 7-6 (8-6) 6-4.
With this, Raducanu expressed that she pushed her opponent more this time around and that this is an improvement for her. Raducanu remarked: “She’s world No 1 for a reason… It was good to have this result on a hard court because it’s very different to grass, and I’ve always thought grass suits me a lot more – and I still believe that.”
“So to have pushed her on a hard court like that, I’m pretty proud,” she added.
Highlights of the match
Emma Raducanu had some breakthroughs in the game. The young athlete started strong by winning the first eight points, and she took a 2-0 lead. However, she lost in the next four games. Still, she managed to put pressure towards Sabalenka and had a tiebreaker in the first set.
In the second set, Raducanu missed only five out of 28 first serves. She also had a significant break in the seventh game by winning the set after hitting an ace on her first set point. In the final set, the British athlete missed her chance to break in the third game, but she saved four break points. However, the match ended in favour of Sabalenka.
Raducanu stated: “I think she did that incredibly well; in the big moments, she served and returned really well… I did too, in certain moments of the match, but to kind of hold that level on the starting point for the whole match, I think that’s a big thing for me.”
Sabalenka praised Raducanu and admitted that she is improving in her game. The world No. 1 declared: “As I said after Wimbledon, I’m really happy to see her healthy, mentally and physically… Every time she’s improving, and I can see that she’s getting back. I’m happy to see that, and I’m enjoying fighting against her.”
“She’s such an incredible player, a really nice person, and I’m super happy for her — and, of course, I’m happy to get through this difficult match”, she added.
On social media, Sabalenka shared that an ice bath helped her recover from the intense match. Netizens also expressed their support for the athlete. One netizen stated: “Great match today and long one and your amazing in tiebreakers.”
Another netizen said: “Both you and Emma played amazing. This is definitely one of my fav matches this season🔥”
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