Emma Raducanu Beats Naomi Osaka in a US Open Champions’ Clash
In an exciting match at the DC Open, Emma Raducanu demonstrated her superiority by defeating Naomi Osaka, in what was the first encounter between both tennis players. Raducanu, former US Open champion, won with a score of 6-4 and 6-2.Raducanu, who became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam title in New York in 2021, managed to save the two break points she faced and broke Osaka’s serve on three occasions.“I felt like I had a little extra,” Raducanu commented. “It’s a match that I think a lot of people were talking about beforehand. I knew it before the match, but I actually like these matches, where you play against a great opponent. A lot of people have their eyes on the match. I enjoy this. I’m happy with how I was able to navigate playing against a four-time Grand Slam champion.”
Emma Raducanu
Osaka struggled due to seven double faults.“I am serving better, and that helps a lot. I have always returned quite well, but the element of when I serve well, adds another dimension to my game,” Raducanu explained. “I can start points better and look for my forehand and put it into play a little more and then dictate.”
Emma Raducanu
Raducanu, currently ranked 46th, will face Maria Sakkari in the quarterfinals. Sakkari eliminated the second seed, Emma Navarro, on Wednesday. In other results on Thursday, top seed Jessica Pegula lost to Leylah Fernandez 6-3, 1-6, 7-5. Venus Williams’ quest for her first winning streak since 2019 ended with a 6-2, 6-2 loss to No. 24-ranked Magdalena Frech. Among the seeded men who advanced are Taylor Fritz (No. 1), Ben Shelton (No. 4), Frances Tiafoe (No. 6), Alex De Minaur (No. 7), Daniil Medvedev (No. 8), Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (No. 12) and Brandon Nakashima (No. 14).“I feel like from the baseline, I was doing pretty well,” Osaka said, who won the US Open and Australian Open twice each. “I think there are certain situations where she was returning one more ball and I was waiting.”
Naomi Osaka
