Emma Raducanu has underlined her excitement before what she describes as a “fact-finding match” against the world No 1, Aryna Sabalenka, as they prepare to battle in the third round of the Cincinnati Open on Monday.
“It’s always exciting for a player like me to play the very top, because it’s like a fact-finding match,” Raducanu said. “You see where you are in comparison to the top. I also think form fluctuates so much on the day. You can lose two and one [6-2, 6-1] one day, you can win or you can make it close the next day, and it can be down to a few points. So I’m excited.”
It will be Raducanu’s first significant match since starting work with her new coach, Francisco Roig, last week in Cincinnati.
Last month she played one of her best matches against a top player in making life difficult for Sabalenka at Wimbledon in two tight sets. After serving for the first set and then later holding a set point against the Belarusian, Raducanu led 4-1 in the second set before losing 7-6 (6), 6-4.
“She played incredible tennis,” Sabalenka said of the British player after her straight-sets win against Marketa Vondrousova on Saturday night. “I’m super happy to see her mentally and physically back, and definitely gonna be back in the top 10 very soon. She challenged me that much, and I like to accept tough challenges, so I’m super excited about facing her on the hard courts.”
Raducanu gave an honest response when asked if she left Centre Court at Wimbledon determined to have another crack at Sabalenka as soon as possible.
“I would say I thought I’d love to have another crack at that on grass, like tomorrow,” she said, laughing. “But I know, and I’m honestly reasonable enough, and, I guess, honest enough in myself to know that different surfaces favour different people and where my game is at in comparison. I think the grass gave me a bit of an advantage but we’ll see how it goes.”
Raducanu has enjoyed a positive run of form in recent months while training and competing consistently on the tour and she could be seeded for the US Open. However, while she has performed well in the matches she has been favoured to win, the lessons from most of her previous encounters against the top players have been that her general level has simply not been good enough.
In their first few days working together, Raducanu and Roig will at least get a clear understanding of exactly where she stands in comparison to the very best.
On Sunday, Cameron Norrie struggled badly in 33C (91F) heat and humid conditions as he lost 6-4, 6-3 against Roberto Bautista Agut in the second round.
After trailing the 37-year-old Spaniard by an early break, Norrie had appeared to be finding his way when he suddenly began to feel sick. Despite fighting hard until the end, he spent the rest of the match clutching his chest and barely able to move on the court: “[In the] 5-4 game I started to feel like I wanted to throw up,” said Norrie. “Maybe it’s the heat, I don’t know. I went to the bathroom and threw everything up after the first set and I was still not feeling good. And I had no energy in the second set.”
Seeded 32nd in Cincinnati, Norrie has been in great form over the past few months, following up his fourth round finish at the French Open with a quarter-final run at Wimbledon. Norrie had hoped to maintain his momentum on the North American hard courts, his favourite surface, but he has instead struggled in each tournament. Norrie’s physicality is usually one of his biggest strengths, which has made these results even more frustrating.
“At this point, I don’t know what to say,” said Norrie. “We’re trying everything. We’re using the ice. We’re changing shirts and changing grips all the time. I don’t think it’s that hot, like it’s hot but it’s not crazy. I’m just not sure why my body is not letting me play. It must be mental too, because I’m really good in the heat, and I have such high expectations for myself to do well in the heat. So I guess maybe I need to lower those expectations now.”
In his first match since losing in the Wimbledon final to Jannik Sinner last month, the men’s No 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz held firm in the decisive moments against Damir Dzumhur despite a turbulent performance to reach the third round in Cincinnati with a 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 win. Coco Gauff, the women’s No 2 seed, eased into the third round with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Wang Xinyu.
