By the end of another breathless opening set against the best player in the world, Emma Raducanu was a picture of frustration and despair. Instead of allowing her emotions to consume her, though, they inspired one of the most impressive performances of her career as she pushed Aryna Sabalenka, the best player in the world, to the edge of her limits in an epic three hour and nine minute scuffle before narrowly falling 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-6 (5) in the third round of the Cincinnati Open.
Recently, Raducanu has performed well against lower-ranked opponents but the gulf between her and the top players had been undeniable. Here, the 22-year-old proved to herself that she has enough quality to beat the best in the world.
Having struggled with her serve throughout this year, including throughout the first set, this performance particularly underlined the progress she has made on her first serve. From a set down, Raducanu dragged herself back into the match with some of her best serving performances of the year as she breezed through her games and continually put pressure on Sabalenka. In the decisive moments, however, Raducanu did not always maintain her confidence behind it.
During the exchanges, Raducanu chose her moments to attack with her forehand brilliantly, she absorbed Sabalenka’s pace effectively, defending well and mixing in her much improved backhand slice. Along with the effectiveness of her game, Raducanu’s resilience was admirable. This performance was a testament to her development as both a player and competitor.
For her part, Sabalenka’s level was far from her best and her struggles were reflected in 72 unforced errors. But she has evolved into such an incredible, reliable competitor. Even when she struggled with her form, her error count continued to pile up and she was plainly being outplayed by Raducanu, she maintained her composure and continued to search for a way through.
With the Belarusian men’s doubles legend Max Mirnyi a new addition to her team, Sabalenka showed her continued development by repeatedly approaching the net in decisive points deep in the final set. Sabalenka has become such a consistent player and she has learned how to find a path to victory regardless of her struggles. She has now, incredibly, won 16 tie-breaks in a row. Raducanu is not the first player to be outhustled by the No 1 in a tight match, and nor will she be the last.
The players walked out onto Centre Court just before 1pm in stifling 32C heat and humid conditions that have presented a significant physical challenge. Although Raducanu was sharp at the beginning of a turbulent first set, winning the first nine points of the match, that hopeful early spell did not last. As the momentum wildly swung back and forth, they ended the set in a tie-break. While Sabalenka elevated her level under pressure, Raducanu lost all confidence in her second serve. After double faulting at 1-3, her shoulders slumped and she quickly found herself down a set.
Although Raducanu was understandably deflated, her resilience was impressive. She bounced back immediately, opening the second set by finding brilliant rhythm on the serve. She finished the set having landed 82% of first serves while winning 75% behind it, which she complimented with an excellent return game at 3-3 against an increasingly erratic Sabalenka.
Both players opted to take a bathroom break and briefly escape the humidity before the final set, but it was Raducanu who returned first. Her subsequent discussion with Francisco Roig, her new coach, touched on many facets of her game, but he constantly repeated one particular message when giving his perspective on the match: “You’re better than her.”
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Raducanu continued to breeze through her serve until she found herself in a desperate, monumental game at 3-4 in the final set. After 13 deuces and four break points across a game that lasted over 20 minutes, Raducanu found the strength to drag herself through the game with an unreturned serve and then she composed herself to force a final set tie-break.
Even though she was far from her best and countless opportunities had passed her by, Sabalenka still found a way to produce her best tennis in the most important moments. She nervelessly closed an excellent, tight tussle with an ace.
In the aftermath of her tight two-set match against Sabalenka at Wimbledon, the challenge for Raducanu was to maintain that momentum. She has consolidated it brilliantly with her performances across the North American hard court season, both playing and winning consistently, her confidence growing with each tournament.
Once the pain from this excruciating defeat abates, this will only make her a better player. Four years on from the fortnight in New York that changed her life, Raducanu will head to the US Open in better form than she has been since then.
