Emma Raducanu is showing flashes of her US Open-winning brilliance—and she’ll need every bit of it as she prepares to face world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

The 22-year-old British star produced a stunning performance on Wednesday night, defeating 2023 Wimbledon champion Markéta Vondroušová 6-3, 6-3 to book her place in the third round. There, she will face her toughest test yet against the formidable Sabalenka.

“I’m just so happy I get to play another match here,” said Raducanu.
“[Sabalenka] is number one in the world, so dominant, she’s won pretty much everything. I’m just really pleased with how I played. I suppose there’s no pressure on me at all.”

While she took time to enjoy her second consecutive straight-sets victory at this year’s Championships, Raducanu will soon shift her focus to the challenge of countering Sabalenka’s overwhelming power game.

“That’s the best I’ve seen her play since the US Open,” remarked former world No. 1 Tracy Austin, speaking on the BBC.

“It was spectacular tennis—her serve was excellent, she targeted Vondroušová’s forehand smartly, and used her backhand down the line to great effect. She mixed in slices brilliantly, and her return of serve was outstanding.

“If Emma can maintain that level, she definitely has a shot at beating Sabalenka. Aryna has one of the biggest serves in women’s tennis, but with the way Emma was returning today, she could really put her under pressure. There are many aspects of Emma’s game that could trouble Sabalenka.”

Turning Defence into Attack

Vondroušová herself praised Raducanu’s return game. While the Czech may not possess the same explosive power as Sabalenka, she is no stranger to pace, yet Raducanu managed to handle it with confidence and composure.

In the opening set alone, Raducanu won 12 of 21 points while defending—an impressive 57% success rate, well above the tournament average of 34%.

That defensive prowess was on full display when she broke Vondroušová for a 4-2 lead in the first set. With a dazzling backhand pass, she flipped a defensive position into an aggressive winner—despite having just a five percent chance of winning the point, according to Wimbledon’s official IBM statistics.

But the highlight of the match was yet to come.

‘The Crowd Were Loving It!’

Late in the second set, with Vondroušová battling to hold serve and stay within touching distance, Raducanu delivered what she would later call the finest point of her career.

After Vondroušová unleashed a powerful forehand down the line, Raducanu—on the run—could only lob the ball high and short over the net. The Czech capitalised, smashing the ball into the corner. But Raducanu, stretching to full capacity, managed to return it again—this time deep to the baseline.

Vondroušová could only respond with a short forehand, and Raducanu pounced, driving one of her 18 winners into the open court.

“I think it’s probably the best point I’ve ever played, so that was pretty crazy,” Raducanu said afterwards.

“The crowd were loving it. That’s something I’ve really developed over the last few months—my ability to use the slice and stay in points longer.”

Eyes on the Top

Raducanu may not possess the raw power of top-10 players like Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Mirra Andreeva, or Madison Keys, but she is determined not to be defined merely as a counter-puncher.

“What’s going to really make the difference for me in getting back to the top is developing my aggressive game—taking more risks, playing my shots, but calculated ones,” she explained.

“Against the top girls, you really need to have a weapon—both on serve and from the baseline.”

As Raducanu prepares to take on Sabalenka, it is clear she is not only rediscovering her best tennis, but evolving into a more complete and dangerous player.