Emma Raducanu storms past 2023 Wimbledon champion Vondrousova in style
On the eve of another tense fortnight at Wimbledon, Emma Raducanu had every reason to feel overwhelmed by the circumstances she found herself in,As her troublesome back injury continued to restrict her work on the practice court, she has also had to deal with undisclosed personal issues,Her expectations for the tournament were low,It is reflective of Raducanu’s personal growth and maturity that she has taken those difficulties in her stride and found a way to continue to move forward,In one of her most significant matches of the year so far, the British No 1 spectacularly rose to the occasion on Centre Court, producing a brilliant performance to outplay the 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 6-3, 6-3 and return to the third round.
With the victory, Raducanu set up a highly anticipated showdown with Aryna Sabalenka, the world No 1,The Belarusian had earlier defeated Marie Bouzkova 7-6 (4), 6-4,“I think today I played really, really well,” Raducanu said,“There were some points that I have no idea how I turned around, one for sure that I remember in the second set,I knew playing Marketa was going to be an extremely difficult match, she’s won this tournament and it’s a huge, huge achievement.
She’s also in form really well.I’m just so happy about how I competed, put my game on the court and I was just focused the whole way through.”Despite Vondrousova’s lesser ranking of No 73, this was an extremely difficult match against one of the most in-form players in the draw and Raducanu was the underdog.Even though the Czech has endured an injury-ravaged career, her talent has always been undeniable and she offered a reminder of it 10 days ago by spectacularly winning the Berlin Open, with wins over Sabalenka and Madison Keys.Her form, and the fact that she defeated Raducanu in their only meeting this year, in Abu Dhabi in February, made her the favourite.
As the late afternoon shadow expanded across the court and both players settled into the familiar surroundings of Wimbledon’s showcase, the early exchanges offered few surprises.While the Briton tried to dictate from the beginning by taking the ball early and changing directions frequently, Vondrousova attempted to arrest her rhythm by constantly mixing up the trajectory, spin and speed of her shots while placing the ball in difficult positions.But Raducanu was ready.She served well early on and her comfortable early service games emboldened her to take full control of the baseline.She imposed sustained pressure on Vondrousova with her relentless aggression, eventually taking the first break of the opening set with a supreme running backhand down-the-line passing shot, establishing a 4-2 lead.
Raducanu did not allow her poor subsequent service game to dent her confidence, immediately retrieving the break before closing out the set.With the first set secured, Raducanu continued to put Vondrousova under constant pressure, suffocating the Czech with her return and particularly striking her forehand brilliantly.Raducanu’s relentless positivity on court has been notable recently; almost every winning shot was punctuated with a triumphant fist-pump, but her composure in the decisive moments was even more impressive.She remained calm throughout the second set, serving extremely well as the finishing line neared.Raducanu said: “I knew today, I had to be aggressive because Marketa would beat me if I was gonna push the ball around but Mark [Petchey] has helped me a lot.
Everyone in that box has really been there for me, my friends, it’s amazing to have them here as well.”Sign up to The RecapThe best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend’s actionafter newsletter promotionIn recent months, the British player’s perspective towards herself and the way she manages her career has shifted significantly.Raducanu has strived to surround herself with familiar faces she trusts in order to ensure that she can be completely honest with both the people surrounding her and herself.She has come to understand that the only way she can find success in this sport is if she understands how to enjoy her work.Along with the improvements to her mental approach, this performance was also a reflection of three months of work with Petchey, her current coach.
Despite their unusual ad-hoc setup, with Petchey often planning their work around his broadcasting schedule, Raducanu has taken positive steps forward,They have worked hard on her serve, which after being a massive liability earlier this year was excellent in the important moments, particularly as she fended off break chances deep in the second set,She has forced herself to dictate more with her forehand, and the improvements on that stroke were clear as Raducanu ensured that her forehand was the dominant stroke in the match,She will now try to bring both her growing confidence and quality to her upcoming meeting with the best player in the world,
England’s Woakes laments ‘frustrating’ marginal decisions going India’s way
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‘Most special day of my life’: world No 733 Tarvet enjoys limelight in Alcaraz defeat
As a script it surely would have been rejected by Hollywood for being too outlandish. A 21-year-old British student, who has never played on the main tennis tour before, suddenly finds himself on Centre Court with 15,000 people cheering him on. And on the other side of the net is the Wimbledon champion.Yet that was the situation that Oliver Tarvet, the world No 733 from St Albans, found himself in on Wednesday as he lined up to face the brilliant Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz.And while there was no fairytale ending, with Tarvet losing 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 he left to a standing ovation and warm words from his illustrious opponent, who predicted that he could go on to achieve great things
Emma Raducanu storms past 2023 Wimbledon champion Vondrousova in style
On the eve of another tense fortnight at Wimbledon, Emma Raducanu had every reason to feel overwhelmed by the circumstances she found herself in. As her troublesome back injury continued to restrict her work on the practice court, she has also had to deal with undisclosed personal issues. Her expectations for the tournament were low.It is reflective of Raducanu’s personal growth and maturity that she has taken those difficulties in her stride and found a way to continue to move forward. In one of her most significant matches of the year so far, the British No 1 spectacularly rose to the occasion on Centre Court, producing a brilliant performance to outplay the 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 6-3, 6-3 and return to the third round
Carlos Alcaraz shakes off Tarvet from his back without inhibitions or regrets | Jonathan Liew
There were negatives, of course. Shall we focus on the negatives? Shall we dwell on the frailties a little? The uncharacteristic errors, the double faults, an occasional scruffiness at the net, the frequent slumps in intensity? Shall we marvel at the fact that the lowest-ranked player in the tournament earned more break points (11) than one of the greatest players of his generation (10)? Shall we warn, in a tone of affected sternness, that the defending champion will have to raise his game on this evidence?Of course we shall, because this is Carlos Alcaraz, and because there is an entire cottage industry built around maintaining the idea that Alcaraz is in a state of crisis at all times, a state of crisis so acute that it is necessary to feign round-the-clock concern for him. We just want to see all that rich talent fulfilled. That’s all it is. Sincerely and genuinely
Katie Boulter crashes out of Wimbledon with misfiring serve as Sonay Kartal advances
Backing up a big win is never an easy thing, but when you hit 14 double faults, it’s almost impossible. After her outstanding win over ninth seed Paula Badosa on the opening day, Katie Boulter harboured genuine hopes of going further than ever before at this year’s Wimbledon, but her serve misfired badly and her 6-7 (7), 6-2, 6-1 defeat by world No 101 Solana Sierra, a lucky loser from Argentina, will linger for a while.“Of course it hurts,” Boulter said. “It’s a really tough pill to swallow. It always is here
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