Wimbledon: Raducanu soars into third round with dominant win

By Sports Desk July 03, 2024

Emma Raducanu cruised through her second-round meeting with Elise Mertens in straight sets at Wimbledon.

While she was put to the test in the first round, Raducanu made little fuss as she earned a 6-1 6-2 victory on Court 1.

Raducanu won the first five games of first set, but even after dropping one, she saved a break point to take the opener.

She went on another impressive five-game win streak in the second, with Mertens unable to launch any real counter against the Brit, who was in fine form.

Next up for Raducanu is either Arantxa Rus or Maria Sakkari in the next round.

Data Debrief: Raducanu maintains her high level

Raducanu described her first round victory as "winning ugly" but that was not the case on Wednesday.

Since 2000, the 21-year-old (16-7) is one of only two British female players with a winning record (playing a minimum of five matches) at grand slam events, along with Johanna Konta (39-29).

She is also the third British player in the Open Era to hold a winning percentage of 70% or higher in Women’s Singles Grand Slam matches (70.8%), along with Ann Jones (85.3%) and Virginia Wade (71.3%).

Raducanu is now just one round away from matching her best result at Wimbledon, having reached the fourth round in 2021. 

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    An emotional Elina Svitolina says she struggled to focus during her last-16 win at Wimbledon after Russian attacks killed at least 29 people and hit a children's hospital in her native Ukraine.

    The 29-year-old overcame China's Wang Xinyu to reach the quarter-finals on Monday but was reduced to tears in her on-court interview after the ongoings in her homeland.

    The strike was part of one of the heaviest attacks on Ukraine's capital Kyiv since the Russian invasion began in February 2022, with Svitolina sporting a black ribbon to pay tribute to her home country.

    "It was a good performance from my side and it's a very difficult day today for Ukrainian people," said Svitolina, who has regularly addressed the impact of the war on Ukraine.

    "It was not easy to focus on the match. Since the morning it was very difficult to read the news and just to go on the court... it's extremely tough.

    "I'm happy I could play today and get a win."

    Wimbledon organisers made a rare exception to relax the tournament's strict all-white rules for Svitolina's fourth-round match, allowing the 2023 semi-finalist to wear the black ribbon on the chest of her white outfit.

    "I feel like it would be understandable after such a big attack on my country," she later added at a press conference.

    Ukraine's largest children's hospital was among the buildings hit in the attack and world number 21 Svitolina will continue to raise awareness of the war.

    "It's [an] incredibly sad day today for all Ukrainians. It was really difficult for me to really be here in a way and do anything," she continued after her 6-2 6-1 win.

    "I just wanted to be in my room, just be there with my emotions, with everything.

    "I have to put my head down and show up and do my best, my very best. Every Ukrainian is using their own way to raise awareness, to raise money, to help in every possible way they can."

    Svitolina faces Russia-born Kazakh player Elena Rybakina in the next round of the grass-court major.

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    The Centre Court crowd had to remain patient for a break in the opening set with both players excellent with ball in hand, Zverev winning 83% of his first-serve points to Fritz's 81%. A powerful backhand ensured it was Zverev who got the breakthrough nine games in.

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    He previously held a 1-13 record against top-10 opponents at grand slams, but he has now become the first American to reach the quarter-finals at the Australian Open and Wimbledon in a single year since Andy Roddick in 2009.

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    "Anna is a great player. I know she was suffering with a couple of injuries and, if it is the wrist, it is of course very difficult to continue playing. I just wish her a speedy recovery."

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    Aside from Rybakina, Iga Swiatek is the only other player over the past three seasons to hold a match win percentage of over 70% on all three surfaces at WTA level.

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