The World No.1 defeated Emma Raducanu in straight sets on Centre Court on Friday night, but it was far from simple despite the scoreline
Emma Raducanu came up just short on an electrifying night on Centre Court before being tipped to return to the top 10 by opponent Aryna Sabalenka.
Raducanu reminded the tennis world what a special talent she is to push the top seed in a 7-6 (6) 6-4 defeat under the roof in a raucous atmosphere. The first set alone took 74 minutes, with Raducanu saving seven set points and creating one of her own, while she led 4-1 in the second before Sabalenka recovered to set up a fourth-round clash with Elise Mertens.
Raducanu will now drop to British number three behind Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal, who is the last home woman left in singles, but that will not be the case for long if she can maintain this level.
The former US Open champion has made it her goal to close the gap to the world’s best and, having lost twice heavily to Iga Swiatek in the other two grand slams this year, she can feel very differently after her performance here.
“She played such incredible tennis and she pushed me really hard to get this win,” said Sabalenka. “I fight for every point like crazy.
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“I’m super happy to see her healthy and back on track. I’m pretty sure that she will be back in the top 10 soon.”
For the second time in just over 24 hours, a leading British hope came into the press room with eyes red from tears, but, unlike Jack Draper, Raducanu will leave Wimbledon feeling she is closer to the very top rather than further away.
“It’s hard to take a loss like that,” said Raducanu, who revealed she had sought solace in a locker room KitKat. “At the same time, I’m playing Aryna, who is number one in the world, a great champion. I have to be proud of my effort today.
“It’s nice of her to say that, but I think it was pretty clear the difference. In the big moments, she was able to convert, she was able to hit some incredible shots. I just need to keep working and get back to the drawing board and improve a lot more.
“It does give me confidence because I think the problem before was that I felt like I was gulfs away from the very top.
«Having a match like that where I had chances in both sets, it does give me confidence.”
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