Emma Raducanu stormed into the quarter-finals of the WTA 500 tournament at the Queen’s Club with a thrilling win against Rebecca Sramkova in front of a big London crowd.
The 2021 US Open champion produced a classy display to see off a rival who was hitting the ball with more venom for much of the match, yet Raducanu found a way to repel the firepower coming at her and get over the line.
“I am really pleased to get through that,” said Raducanu.
“I don’t think it was my cleanest performance but I am really pleased to push through in the tight moments. I really appreciate the support in that spell when she was coming back.
“I came out ready, expecting everything I am just happy I was able to get off to a good start and build a lead.”
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This was a strange match that saw Raducanu storm into a 5-0 lead in the first set before being pegged back in what turned out to be a nervous conclusion that saw her take the set 6-4.
She then wrapped up the second set 6-1 to seal a big haul of ranking points as she made another quarter-final at WTA 500 level and cemented her status as British No 1 once again.
Yet from Tennis365’s perch high in the stands at the Queen’s Club, a clear issue was evident to witness that will continue to undermine Raducanu.
While she has made notable improvements on her serve in the last few months under the watch of coach Mark Petchey, the power in her ground shots does not appear to have enough potency to challenge the best players in women’s tennis.
When Raducanu won the US Open almost four years ago, she appeared to be capable of striking her opponents off the court, but that pace and venom in her shots is lacking right now.
She can generate good pace as she constantly attacks the second serve of her opponents, but Sramkova had more firepower throughout this match and the primary reason why Raducanu sealed what appeared to be a comfortable win was the waywardness of her opponent from the back of the court.
Sramkova’s frustrations were evident as she constantly overhit her shots from the back of the court, with the played ranked just below Raducanu in the live WTA Rankings prior to this match beating herself as she handed Raducanu too many free points.
Raducanu’s coach Mark Petchey highlighted this issue after Raducanu was blown away by Iga Swiatek in the second round of the French Open, as he suggested the balls are impacting her striking power.
“From my point of view, it’s tough on Emma as I still feel everyone is living in 2021,” said Petchey, who has been coaching Raducanu in an “informal” arrangement since March.
“The games have changed massively. The balls are four times heavier than back in 2021 and Emma isn’t the biggest hitter out there.
“If you can’t put the ball through the court on a windy, heavy clay court day against someone like Iga, you’re going to get into all sorts of trouble.”
The game’s biggest hitters are not playing at the Queen’s Club this week and that is giving Raducanu a real chance to push to be part of the action over the weekend.
She is also closing in on a position in the top 32 of the WTA Rankings, which would be enough to secure her a seeding for Wimbledon later this month.
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