Raducanu storms into Transylvania semi-finals

Emma Raducanu stormed into the semi-finals of the Transylvania Open with a commanding victory over Poland’s Maja Chwalinska.

The British number one, whose sole title remains her astonishing 2021 US Open triumph, rushed through the first set in 25 minutes without losing a game.

Chwalinska, ranked 146th in the world, put up more resistance in the second set, but Raducanu struck a decisive blow at 3-3 before seeing out a 6-0 6-4 win.

It is just the fourth time that Raducanu has reached the semi-finals of a tournament since winning the New York major five years ago.

“I’m very happy with my performance today. I played a great match from the beginning,” the 23-year-old said.

Top seed Raducanu has now won her first three matches since splitting with coach Francis Roig after a lacklustre second-round exit at January’s Australian Open.

She is now into a first semi-final since the Washington Open in July and victory will see her reach a first final since the US Open.

Raducanu will next face Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova, who claimed her first top-50 win against Chinese fourth seed Wang Xinyu to reach a first WTA Tour semi-final.

Earlier on Thursday, British number two Sonay Kartal lost 10 consecutive games in a 6-0 6-2 defeat by Sara Bejlek in the Abu Dhabi Open quarter-finals.

Kartal lost the first set in 22 minutes and failed to hold serve until her sixth service game.

After getting on the board midway through the second set, she broke the Czech to reduce the deficit to 4-2, but was immediately broken back.

Kartal has lost three of her four quarter-finals on the WTA Tour.

Her only victory came en route to winning the Jasmin Open in 2024, her only tour-level title.