Emma Raducanu speaks out after surprise reaction to beating American in US

Emma Raducanu admitted that she was surprised at the level of support she had when reaching the quarter-finals of the Citi Open, downing a home favourite in Peyton Stearns to get there. The Brit was serving to take the first set when the heavens opened and a downpour of rain forced the tie to be suspended, only for Raducanu to win 7-6(6) 6-2 upon the match’s resumption.

And Raducanu could not believe how much the fans were on her side in Washington, having turned down the opportunity to represent Team GB at the Olympics in order to focus on her hard-court season. “Honestly it was like ‘why did I play that last point at 15-15’, but I managed to get over that (unfortunate rain delay timing) quite quickly and actually have set point on that service game,” Raducanu said during her on-court interview.

“It’s tricky today, when you get rained off at such a big moment like that. It can affect the dynamics of the match. I think I did a pretty good job of coming out pretty strong and toughing out that tiebreak. In the second set I was playing much better. “I want to thank everyone’s patience and waiting for the end of that match. “I knew it was going to be a tough match against Peyton, especially playing at home, but I want to thank everyone for their support because honestly I felt like I was playing at home too.”

The 2021 US Open champion will face either wildcard Paula Badosa or third seed Liudmila Samsonova in the next round, after a composed victory over world No. 52 Stearns. After a two-hour rain delay, she clinched the first set 7-6 (8-6) in a tiebreaker, before breaking early in the second to seal her place in the next round.

And the 21-year-old feels that she made the decision to preserve her body and not switch to another surface in order to compete for Team GB at the Olympics, instead focusing on the final Grand Slam of the year. “It’s been a good run for me in the last few months,” Raducanu added. “I think I am building some momentum. I think I am most pleased with my game, development, and the work I am doing off the match court and in practice.

“For that to show a little bit in matches in the last few months I am very pleased with and I just have to keep trusting the work I am doing with coach Nick (Cavaday) who has been great.”