Emma Raducanu continues domination over Maria Sakkari to reach first semi-final in 13 months
Emma Raducanu extended her dominance over world No 90 Maria Sakkari with a 6-4, 7-5 victory at the Citi DC Open to reach the tournament’s last four.
The result puts the Brit through to her first semi-final since the Nottingham Open in 2024, and her first on a hard court since the Korea Open in September 2022.
Raducanu fought back from a break down in both sets, including from 5-2 in the second set, to defeat the Greek for the fourth consecutive time – winning all eight of their contested sets.
She is next due to face either Anna Kalinskaya or fourth seed Clara Tauson.
“It’s incredibly difficult playing, but, actually, when I’ve sat and watched matches in the heat, when you’re not moving on the seat, it’s even harder, so I really appreciate you guys staying through the match,” began Raducanu, during her on-court interview.
“I think my confidence has been building since Miami.
“The amount of work I’m doing behind the scenes, to have that in the locker and banked, you know you’ve done it, it takes a little pressure off the results.
“I’m really pleased today, you know, Maria played an incredible match and I think that these conditions really suit her with the jumpiness and liveliness of her game, so I’m really happy to have just toughed it out.
“You just have to enjoy suffering, as bad as that sounds, you just have to leave it all out on the court until you probably drop.”
The Brit had her vitals checked after breaking back in the second set, with temperatures soaring on quarter-finals day in Washington.
Raducanu is now confirmed to jump from her current world No 46th spot to – as of the current live WTA rankings – the 32nd spot.
That position could be crucial, heading into the US Open, as it would guarantee her a seeded spot in the draw.
Should the Brit go on to lift the Citi DC Open title, she would close in on the world’s top 25.
Raducanu also has a chance for the silverware in the women’s doubles category, having reached the last four alongside partner Elena Rybakina. The pair will next face Taylor Townsend and Zhang Shuai for a place in the showpiece match.
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After her previous round victory over Naomi Osaka, the Brit was clearly satisfied with her building hard-court form.
That triumph over the former Grand Slam champion also confirmed Raducanu’s return to the British No 1 spot.
“I feel a lot more composed, I feel more relaxed, more comfortable in myself and just what I’m doing on and off the court,” analysed Raducanu.
“You know, I think I’m putting a lot of good work in, so it takes the pressure off of the results because I know how much I’m doing behind the scenes and banking, and I’m really just enjoying my tennis, enjoying getting better and collecting as many good days as possible in a row.
“It’s, you know, pretty childish, but I’m trying to keep this streak going as long as possible of like, good days.
“It’s like a Snapchat streak, but, yeah, just trying to keep it going, and I’m on a higher number right now, so I want to keep it going.”
