It’s only been two months since the 18-year-old from Kent rose to the public consciousness with her impressive run to the Wimbledon fourth round, but Raducanu has already taken several more steps forward.
In her first match after Wimbledon in San Jose a month ago, the teen was beaten by 49th-ranked Zhang, who has a lot of experience on the road.
Raducanu had won 12 games since that loss, however, including four at Flushing Meadows, and outscored Zhang in a 6-2 6-4 victory that was completely one-sided until a late comeback by the Chinese player.
“I’ve had five games here in New York, so I feel very comfortable with the conditions and the courts,” Raducanu said.
“I’m getting used to it more and more and in each round I feel like I go for my shots more, and today I think that was evident. I think I’ve come a long way since my first qualifying game here, but also since the first tournament on this trip five weeks ago.
“Playing on the circuit for so many weeks in a row definitely builds your confidence and I’ve been lucky enough to win quite a few games.”
Raducanu revealed that it took him 90 minutes to travel to Flushing Meadows from Manhattan, and the game started an hour later than billed as cleanup continued after the intense storm Wednesday night, but luckily all was quiet in New York.
Raducanu has yet to drop a set in qualifying or in the main draw and put up his spot right away with a break to love.
The teenager was excellent in both offense and defense and led by one set and 4-0 before Zhang belatedly mounted a challenge with three games in a row.
But Raducanu regrouped impressively, stopping the rot with a confident service game and showing none of the nerves that had plagued her at the end of her first-round win over Stefanie Voegele.
“That game meant a lot to me on a personal level,” he said. “I wanted so badly to win.
“I knew there was going to be adversity at some point in the game and, honestly, I was 6-2 4-0 up, but I had to work very hard for every point and the games were very long and challenging. The scoreboard said one thing, but I think the level of tennis we both played was suggesting a completely different story. “
Raducanu will face another of the 2021-fit players in Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo, where victory could be enough to propel her to the top 100.
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Source: www.yorkshirepost.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-09-02 21:56:38
