Emma Raducanu emphatically snubbed at Wimbledon after humiliating rival
Emma Raducanu has been in excellent form at Wimbledon.
Tennis fans have given Emma Raducanu little hope of winning Wimbledon despite her storming start to the women’s singles. The British sensation is into the fourth round at the Championships after recording yet another win against a top 10-ranked player.
Despite being a former Grand Slam champion, Raducanu had remarkably never beaten anyone in the WTA top 10 until she overcame Jessica Pegula in Eastbourne ahead of Wimbledon.
Raducanu’s superb form has carried into this summer's tournament. On Friday, the 21-year-old defeated world No 9 Maria Sakkari in a dominant display on Centre Court.
She now has a favourable draw against the world No 123 Lulu Sun on Sunday. A win would take her into the quarter-final and beat her previous best Wimbledon display of reaching the fourth round on debut in 2021.
But Wimbledon fans have rather harshly given Raducanu little hope of winning the tournament. In a poll of Express Sport readers, only 12 per cent have backed the 2021 US Open champion to go all the way at the Championships.
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Raducanu has overcome a tough couple of years. She underwent three separate surgeries on her wrists and ankle last year, missing a host of tournaments and subsequently falling down the rankings.
Having breezed past Sakkari 6-2 6-3 on Centre Court, Raducanu insists she cannot wait for another match on Wimbledon’s biggest stage.
"I love playing on the big courts. For me, I thrive on such occasions, on big stages," she said. It's something I play tennis for. I just love the feeling of it, competing, especially here in front of a home crowd. It is really amazing.
"I think on the pressure side, you can flip it. I have a packed Centre Court who are all rooting for me to win. It really felt like that today. It really felt like that in my last two matches.
"For me, I just feel happy that that many people are behind me. That's just in a microcosm of what's going on in the wider world. Not everyone who supported me is in that stadium, as well. I think pressure's a privilege. I thrive for those situations."
Her victory came after Sakkari had boasted of being the top-10 player in the match. The Greek said: “I think the opportunity is for both. She's also playing a top-10 player. Let's not forget that,” Sakkari stated. “She's an unbelievable player. She's very talented. She's very promising. Even after winning a Grand Slam, she's still very young.
Raducanu has had to overcome a tough set of matches to reach the fourth round. She has beaten Renata Zarazua, Elise Mertens and Sakkari, but has not dropped a set in any of those rounds.