Emma Raducanu

[William Treseder]

6-1, 6-4 to Radacanu to set up an all teenage final. The one potential problem I see for her is that it’s all been a bit too easy for her so far.

That’s not a problem at all.
She’s made it look easy. A class act.

[the other bob wilson]

That’s not a problem at all.
She’s made it look easy. A class act.

It might be if the Final turns out to be a real battle. Fair play to Sakkari, she fought really hard towards the end to hold her serve twice despite facing a stack of break points - I started watching at 3-0 in the first set and, apparently, Radacanu had come back from 15-40 down in both of her service games, but she was never threatened on serve at all while I was watching, so her opponent, for all of the competitiveness she showed in those late service games, never really laid a glove on her as far as Radacanu's own serve goes.

In saying that, Radacanu just comes over as a real natural who instinctively makes right, and clever, decisions on court - it's a contradiction in terms, but she's an experienced player at the age of eighteen in so many ways and you get the feeling that she has another level to go to yet if she needs to.

[Elwood Blues]

It might be if the Final turns out to be a real battle. Fair play to Sakkari, she fought really hard towards the end to hold her serve twice despite facing a stack of break points - I started watching at 3-0 in the first set and, apparently, Radacanu had come back from 15-40 down in both of her service games, but she was never threatened on serve at all while I was watching, so her opponent, for all of the competitiveness she showed in those late service games, never really laid a glove on her as far as Radacanu's own serve goes.

In saying that, Radacanu just comes over as a real natural who instinctively makes right, and clever, decisions on court - it's a contradiction in terms, but she's an experienced player at the age of eighteen in so many ways and you get the feeling that she has another level to go to yet if she needs to.

Sakkari, if I recall rightly, had Raducanu in trouble early on and had 7 break points in the early service games. Once Raducanu had her measure however, there was really only one player in it until the last few games. I am glad Sakkari did have revival because it gave Raducanu the chance to show that even when things start to go the other players way she can cope with it.

Of course, she was helped by the fact that Sakkari made a lot of unforced errors, as did her previous three opponents. But as one of the experts said last night, a lot of these errors have been because she puts their whole game under stress with the way she pressurises them. People are already saying that she is the best returner of serve at the top level!

Greg Rusedski said he had never seen anyone like her, with the possible exception of Rafael Nadal. Annabel Croft agreed with him.

Like me. you are a keen cricket follower and no doubt have heard commentators say that great players have so much time to play the ball or that their test match averages are often better than their county averages.

Raducanu seems to have time and seems (according to Martins Navratilova) to anticipate where to position herself on the court.

In her last tournament before the US Open she lost in three sets in the final to the then world no 78 and beat the world number 100 in three sets in the semi final, in the two matches she lost 27 games

In her last four matches in the US Open she has beaten(thrashed??) the numbers 41,43 ,12 and 18 in the world and lost a total of
16 games! In fact she is now higher in the rankings than the first two of those.

It would have nice if she had had some tougher games like her opponent Leylah Fernandez has. But you can only beat what is in front of you

[the other bob wilson]

Sakkari, if I recall rightly, had Raducanu in trouble early on and had 7 break points in the early service games. Once Raducanu had her measure however, there was really only one player in it until the last few games. I am glad Sakkari did have revival because it gave Raducanu the chance to show that even when things start to go the other players way she can cope with it.

Of course, she was helped by the fact that Sakkari made a lot of unforced errors, as did her previous three opponents. But as one of the experts said last night, a lot of these errors have been because she puts their whole game under stress with the way she pressurises them. People are already saying that she is the best returner of serve at the top level!

Greg Rusedski said he had never seen anyone like her, with the possible exception of Rafael Nadal. Annabel Croft agreed with him.

Like me. you are a keen cricket follower and no doubt have heard commentators say that great players have so much time to play the ball or that their test match averages are often better than their county averages.

Raducanu seems to have time and seems (according to Martins Navratilova) to anticipate where to position herself on the court.

In her last tournament before the US Open she lost in three sets in the final to the then world no 78 and beat the world number 100 in three sets in the semi final, in the two matches she lost 27 games

In her last four matches in the US Open she has beaten(thrashed??) the numbers 41,43 ,12 and 18 in the world and lost a total of
16 games! In fact she is now higher in the rankings than the first two of those.

It would have nice if she had had some tougher games like her opponent Leylah Fernandez has. But you can only beat what is in front of you

I think the thing which says so much is that old professionals, who could become cynical and a bit negative about the game they once played, are so amazed at how she is playing - I saw those interviews with Greg Rusedski and Annabel Croft and the former, who had been tipping her to lose before previous matches apparently, was plain gobsmacked about her.

Good point as well about how she is causing her opponents to look so ordinary.