Raducanu Defies Form Book for Huge Win and Shot at Sabalenka

On the eve of another tense fortnight at Wimbledon, Emma Raducanu had every reason to feel overwhelmed by the circumstances she found herself in.

- Tumaini Carayol

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 third-round 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, I think 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."