How ‘elite’ win would cement Raducanu’s progress

Yet another step away. The world’s top player has been threatened twice by Emma Raducanu in recent months.

Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, will face Raducanu for a spot in the US Open fourth round on Friday, giving her another chance to compete against one of the best.

The 36th-ranked Raducanu’s performances were a sign of her encouraging progress, even though the British number one ultimately fell behind to Aryna Sabalenka at Wimbledon and the Cincinnati Open.

Former world number one Lindsay Davenport told BBC Sport, “When Raducanu has faced top-10 players in previous years, it seemed like she was a little lightweight going up against the power players.”

“That feeling has left my mind over the past few months.”

“Against Sabalenka, Raducanu was able to absorb the power and maneuver her.”

“It will be a huge battle for Raducanu, but I give him a chance.”

Despite her impressive displays against Sabalenka, 22-year-old Raducanu has still only managed to defeat top-10 players in three of her 17 matches.

The 2021 US Open champion has never defeated a rival Grand Slam champion.

Although Rybakina might be ninth in New York this year, Sabalenka’s recent blitz in Cincinnati, which ended 6-1, 6-4, served as a reminder of her threat.

Three-time major champion Davenport, whose serving served as the foundation of her success, commented, “It’s great to see her looking healthy and looking better on court.”

Before running out of steam, home favorite Raducanu put Sabalenka to the test before seriously undermining the remainder of the gripping match.

In a three-set match that had the potential to go either way, she dragged the world number one into a much tougher fight at the Cincinnati Open.

Raducanu’s performance provided a strong foundation for her service career, supported by calmness and clarity from the beginning, further supporting her ability to put the world’s best to the test.

The rangy Rybakina, like Sabalenka, relys on her baseline power to outlast her fierce opponents.

Although the match-up is different, Davenport noted that Rybakina still has a power player.

You have a little bit more time with Rybakina, I assure you. Sabalenka’s shot is slightly more offensive and dominant in the beginning, depending on how quickly both players take their shots.

Although Raducanu’s A-game isn’t as high as Sabalenka’s, I believe Raducanu will have a little more time to get started.

However, it’s very difficult for the opponents to score points against Rybakina.

She has a metronomic serve, which is second only to the WTA Tour’s ace count and first-serve percentage this season, at 6 feet (1.83m).

While Rybakina had a strong opening win over American qualifier Julieta Pareja, her level fell to a tiebreaker in the second round and gave Czech opponent Tereza Valentova three breaks.

She is the kind of opponent who can knock anyone’s racquet out of their hand if they are returning and performing well, Raducanu said.

Rybakina is not among New York’s top-ranked in terms of serving rates. Raducanu is, in contrast,.

She is the only player to have won 100% of her service games, which is helped by a 78% first-serve percentage, which is the second-highest of the tournament.

She has made a special effort to make the opening shot a weapon in recent months.

When I’m serving well, it always helps. It just kind of seeps into the rest of my game, Raducanu said.

There is a restriction. Ena Shibahara from Japan and Janice Tjen from Indonesia have both been lowly ranked qualifiers so far.

Raducanu is likely to face even more intense scrutiny because of Rybakina’s fluid groundstrokes off both wings, which back up her serve.

Raducanu questioned her’s prediction regarding her chances of winning.

It depends on the player’s mood on the day to determine how well they are feeling.