Sparkling performance from Emma Raducanu as she reaches US Open first round

US Open
Great Britain's Emma Raducanu plays a shot

Britain’s Emma Raducanu raised her arms in triumph as she battled her way to the US Open first round with a fine win in the third round of qualifying.

The 18-year-old beat fourth seed beat Mayar Sherif 6-1 6-4 to qualify for the main draw of the final major championship of 2021, with her controlled and powerful performance catching the eye at Flushing Meadows.

Raducanu shot to fame by reaching Wimbledon’s fourth round in July, in a stunning first grand slam showing.

The fast-rising talent backed that up by reaching the final of the WTA Challenger event in Chicago last week and now Raducanu has fought through to the US Open first round proper.

Raducanu had kick-started her US Open qualifying bid by dispatching Holland’s Bibiane Schoofs 6-1 6-2, then ousted Georgia’s Mariam Bolkvadze 6-3 7-5 to reach the final round.

Another impressive victory has now allowed Raducanu to chalk off another milestone in her fledgling career.

It was another great step forward for Raducanu, with former British No.1 Annabel Croft telling Tennis365 that she has a bright future ahead of her.

“She’s got a bit of momentum behind her and she had backed up her performance at Wimbledon with more good wins on the WTA Tour,” Croft told us at an Amazon Prime Video event.

“When you cause a bit of a stir on the tour and start to make a name for yourself on the grand stage, you need to try and keep that going and she is doing that.

“People know who she is and she is creating a bit of an aura around here as people are talking about Emma.

“She’s got talent, great athletic ability and seem to have great mental strength. On top of that, she is winning matches and the next step is going onto the main tour and adapting to that.

“Maybe she will have to step back to play some lower-ranked tournaments at times over the next few months, but clearly she is a very exciting talent.”

https://twitter.com/the_LTA/status/1431340260198342662?s=20

Britain’s Katie Boulter also progressed with a 7-5 2-6 6-4 victory over Kristina Kucova.

Boulter delivered 10 aces as her serve proved the difference in a marathon match lasting two hours and 32 minutes.

Emma Raducanu

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