Sabalenka beats Raducanu

Wins 7-6(6) 6-4 in the third-round at Centre Court

- AP

Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka staved off an upset bid by resurgent Emma Raducanu at Wimbledon by beating the home favourite 7-6(6) 6-4 in the third-round at a raucous Centre Court.

Sabalenka, a two-time semifinalist at the All England Club, on Friday night fought back in both sets against the the 2021 US Open champion, who had been playing some of her best tennis since her title run at Flushing Meadows as a qualifier at age 18.

In a 74-minute first set, Sabalenka converted her eighth set point, which came 30 minutes after the first.