There are moments in major tournaments when the favorites fall to opponents who, on paper, are considered underdogs. But this wasn’t one of those times, as Aryna Sabalenka defeated Emma Raducanu in straight sets.
Raducanu reached the third round without dropping a single set
Emma Raducanu arrived at the match with sky-high motivation, hoping to take down Sabalenka and continue her journey toward the Wimbledon title. But that dream came to an end-against the toughest opponent possible.
Prior to this matchup, Raducanu had dispatched Mimi Xu and Marketa Vondrousova without dropping a set. However, she knew things would get far more difficult at this stage, especially on the hallowed grass courts.
The Belarusian took the first set 7-6, winning the tiebreak 8-6. Then, just when it seemed she was losing the second set, Sabalenka staged a comeback to win 6-4.
Raducanu had a solid lead in the second set and was poised to level the match. She was ahead by more than four points before Sabalenka responded with five consecutive points to steal the set and the win.
In Sabalenka’s final service game, Raducanu nearly pulled off another comeback, rallying from 40-0 to 40-30, but ultimately couldn’t hold on as the Belarusian sealed the match.
After the hard-fought battle, Sabalenka said:
She played such incredible tennis and pushed me really hard. I fought for every point like crazy. I’m happy to see her healthy and back on track. I’m sure she will soon be back in the top 10.”
“She was making me move a lot, serving well, from the baseline she was playing great tennis.
Raducanu had hoped to keep her Cinderella run alive at Wimbledon
With the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth seeds already eliminated from the tournament, Raducanu entered the match believing it could be her day to take down world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. But fate had other plans.
Her level of play was spectacular, almost worthy of greatness. But when facing the best in tennis, everything must be perfect-because “almost” doesn’t count in sports or in life.
At just 22 years old, Raducanu still has plenty of time to prove she’s capable of dethroning the sport’s elite. The talent is there, but now she must put in the work to make it happen.
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