Emma Raducanu’s Wimbledon aspirations were dashed on Friday evening as the 2021 US Open winner was ousted in the third round by world number one Aryna Sabalenka on Centre Court.
Despite facing a formidable opponent, Raducanu delivered a commendable performance but ultimately succumbed to Sabalenka in an enthralling match, with scores of 7-6, 6-4. The 22 year old British talent once again enjoyed the unwavering support from the Centre Court spectators, who had been vocally backing her since the tournament’s outset.
On Wednesday, Raducanu delighted the home crowd at Wimbledon by securing a convincing victory over Marketa Vondrousova, finishing with a scoreline of 6-3, 6-3. It has been almost fifty years since a British woman clinched the Championships, and the local fans’ yearning for success was palpable.
Vondrousova, however, voiced her frustration regarding the partisan crowd favouring Raducanu during their encounter, as reported by the Express. In her post-match comments, the Czech athlete shared her thoughts: “It’s very difficult with her in the centre, it seems to me that she’s a complete idol here.
“The centre was packed and she was still teasing people and demanding that they support her. She was very excited herself, from the second ball she was shouting all over the court. It’s obvious that she’s enjoying it. It’s just not pleasant. And when you play this well, you’re in a good mood and it’s hard to get out of it.”, reports the Mirror.
For the majority of the opening set, it looked as though the home support might propel Raducanu to another stunning triumph, but a gruelling first set lasting 74 minutes eventually went Sabalenka’s way.
The Briton then raced into a commanding 4-1 advantage in the second set, only for her rival to claim five consecutive games and book her spot in the second week at SW19.
Sabalenka was full of praise for Raducanu, who at moments produced some of her finest tennis since that magical New York journey nearly four years ago. “She played such incredible tennis and she pushed me really hard to get this win,” Sabalenka commented.
“I fight for every point like crazy. 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.”
Raducanu appeared visibly moved during her post-match press conference, though she acknowledged that her performance level had convinced her the distance between herself and the sport’s elite seems to be narrowing.
“It’s hard to take a loss like that,” she reflected. “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.”