Emma Raducanu won the US Open in 2021 without dropping a set. The Brit had to come through qualifying to even make the event. Raducanu dominated the field and moved through qualifying and the main draw; each match was a straight-sets win.
Can Emma Raducanu replicate at Wimbledon?
Since the astonishing and unexpected but welcome maiden grand slam at Flushing Meadows in 2021, Brit Emma Raducanu has not had much success. The Brit was also unfortunate to have surgery on both her hands and feet last season.
Having been handed a wildcard for the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, Raducanu has made a great start. After a bit of a scare in the first set of the first-round match, which went to a tiebreak, the Brit dominated the tiebreak and didn’t look back.
Eventually taking the match in straight sets, Raducanu has gone on from there. The second-round match against Elise Mertens saw the Brit dominate and ease through, losing only three games. Raducanu had not had a top-10 win since her return from the surgery. Her third-round match was against Maria Sakkari, whom she had defeated in the semi-final in New York.
First top 10 win
The third round match against Greek Sakkari was on centre court. In a rematch of the US Open semi final Raducanu was bouncing on the court. Even when the Brit lost a point, Raducanu did not let it faze her. Having not defeated a top 10 player in a long time and with Sakkari seeded nine at Wimbledon, the Brit delved into her memory banks.
Raducanu completed another straight sets win over the Greek. In Flushing Meadows, the Brit won 6-1, 6-4, so lost only five games. Here at Wimbledon, Raducanu also lost five games, but this time, the score was 6-2, 6-3. It also marked the Brits’ first top-ten win.
How far can Emma Raducanu go?
If Raducanu is able to replicate the great run at Flushing Meadows, there is no reason why the Brit cannot win her second (and home) Grand Slam. The last British woman to win Wimbledon was Virginia Wade back in 1977, so they haven’t had as long a wait (yet) as they did for the men’s singles. That, of course, was Andy Murray in 2013, which ended a 77-year wait for a men’s singles winner.
Raducanu needs to keep her composure and keep playing the way she has done these first few rounds, and who knows if we Brits will be celebrating another Wimbledon winner. The only concern now is that Raducanu has pulled out of the mixed doubles with Murray in what was to be his last match (or matches, if they won) at his last Wimbledon.
The Brit stated this morning that she woke up with stiffness in her wrist. This led her to make the difficult decision to pull out of the mixed doubles, meaning that Murray played his last match at Wimbledon with his brother Jamie on Tuesday night.
Murray had been looking forward to the mixed doubles, as had Raducanu, as his final swansong at the hallowed All England club. However, it seems now more fitting that the tribute took place on centre court after his doubles match with Jamie.
Emma Raducanu will look to continue her singles competition against Lulu Sun on Sunday as she aims to make the second week and the quarterfinal. She is now in a position that Murray often found himself in. The last Brit standing in the singles. Will she progress – we will find out.
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey – USA TODAY Sports
