A clinical Emma Raducanu evoked memories of her stunning US Open victory as she beat ninth seed Maria Sakkari to advance to the fourth round at Wimbledon.
Raducanu had beaten Sakkari in the semi-finals in New York, and she again dropped just five games under the Centre Court roof, reminding the tennis world of her rare talent in a 6-2 6-3 victory.
Having never beaten a top-10 player in her career, the 21-year-old has now done so twice in a fortnight, as well as equalling her best run at the All England Club in her deciding event three years ago.
“I think today was one of the days I had the most fun on a tennis court. I really enjoyed every moment,” Raducanu said.
“I thought to myself, ‘How many times in your life are you going to get the chance to play in front of a full Centre Court?’
“I think what makes me most proud is how focused and determined I was on every point and at every moment.
“I knew playing Maria – she’s a top-10 opponent – I had to fight and fight hard. She’s so tough and has incredible weapons. I kind of saw it as a free throw.
“You just have to play every point like it’s your last.”
The British wild card will then face a qualifier Lulu’s Sunranked 123rd in the world, for a place in the quarter-finals on Sunday.
Raducanu recalls memories of stunning US Open win on Centre Court
She played down the parallels between this fortnight and New York after knocking out Elise Mertens in the last round, but there are certainly some, not least the fact that she came here full of confidence and with plenty of wins under her belt.
In the past month she has reached her first grass-court semi-final in Nottingham and then beaten a top-10 player for the first time, beating Jessica Pegula in Eastbourne.
Sakkari pointed out rather piquantly before the competition that it was she rather than Raducanu who had been among the best players in the world over the past three years.
But she has also struggled at the Grand Slams since reaching the semi-finals in New York and came into Wimbledon having won just one match in her last five majors.
An error-strewn first game from the Greek, who has never advanced beyond the third round here, handed Raducanu an immediate break of serve, while the big difference between the two was their handling of the big points.
Raducanu was exceptional, saving five break points in three games in the first set, one with an ace and another with a scorching forehand down the line.
She had Sakkari at 0-40 in the fifth game without managing to break, but found the cushion she was looking for when an Andy Murray-style lob landed on the baseline to give her a 5-2 lead.
Sakkari had two more chances in the next game but Raducanu was rock solid again, and there was an air of real excitement around Centre Court when she earned another break to lead 2-1 in the second set.
The errors again started to pile up off the racquet of a frustrated Sakkari, who vented her exasperation in her support box as Raducanu survived another tight game, saving two more break points, including one with a second-serve ace.
Sakkari saved two match points serving at 3-5 but sent a forehand wide on the third, leaving Raducanu smiling with delight.
Raducanu on her form: “It’s all about winning the day”
“I think you just have to have an inner passion. Whether I win or lose, every day I just try to win the day,” she said.
“Different days mean different things. Going out on the field can sometimes mean winning.
“Sometimes you win and you play incredible tennis. It’s a game of give and take.”
Kartal’s Wimbledon career comes to an end
Sonay Kartal’s impressive Wimbledon campaign ended in the third round after a three-set loss to US Open champion Coco Gauff (left)
Sonay Kartal’s impressive Wimbledon campaign ended in the third round after a three-set loss to the US Open champion Coco Gauff.
World number 298 Kartal won just three games at the All England Club last year but managed more than that against Gauff and even broke the American in the first set on Court One.
Kartal held on in several long rallies before Gauff eventually proved too strong with a 6-4 6-0 victory, but the British No.9 can be proud of her week’s work in SW19, which saw her pocket £143,000 in prize money and memories to last a lifetime.
The 22-year-old showed no apparent nervousness, however, as she admirably tried to keep up with Gauff’s powerful shots and did so when the American sent her backhand long after a 15-shot rally to put Kartal on the scoreboard.
Huge cheers greeted that hold and a 104mph ace secured another before the home favourite created two break points in game seven.
Gauff double-faulted to regain the first set on serve, but two consecutive backhand winners from the world number two, the first after a successful challenge, were enough to earn her the break.
The 39-minute first set ended with an ace and a wild forehand from Kartal gave Gauff a break early in the second set.
The match was one-sided, but Kartal delighted the crowd by saving three break points in the fifth game of the second set.
Second seed Gauff finally sealed the break and an ace ended Kartal’s fine run before she left Court One to loud applause.
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