Emma Raducanu overturns five-game deficit to reach Transylvania Open quarter-finals
British No 1 Emma Raducanu fights back to beat Kaja Juvan of Slovenia and secure place in Transylvania Open quarter-finals; Britain's Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal savour wins at Ostrava and Abu Dhabi Opens respectively
Wednesday 4 February 2026 19:57, UK
Emma Raducanu overturned a five-game first-set deficit to book her place in the Transylvania Open quarter-finals with a straight‑sets victory over Kaja Juvan.
The British No 1, in her second match since splitting with coach Francois Roig, lost the opening five games of the match to her Slovenian opponent before mounting a remarkable comeback.
From 5-0 down, Raducanu suddenly woke from her slumber, winning 11 successive games to seize control of the contest and lay the foundations for an impressive 7-5 6-1 victory that had looked unlikely at one stage.
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Raducanu faces a quick turnaround in Cluj-Napoca, with her quarter-final against Poland's Maja Chwalińska scheduled for Thursday.
Addressing the crowd, Raducanu, who has Romanian heritage, said: "Thank you for the support, it really got me through some tricky moments in the first set.
"I have to say Kaja was playing some great tennis, was putting me on the back foot straightaway. I thought I was being aggressive, going for my shots, but I was missing and not executing.
"At least I can say I was trying to play on my terms. That was the goal for me. I don't think I've ever come back from 5-0 down before so that's a first to add to the experience.
"Thank you for staying and waiting so long, I appreciate it, it means a lot. Now I've got to try and recover straightaway.
"It's not much time but hopefully the schedule is kind to me and I can find some energy and hopefully I'll see you guys out there and you'll give me some energy."
Boulter, Kartal through to respective quarter-finals
Katie Boulter is through to the quarter-finals of the Ostrava Open.
The British No 4, who has plummeted down the rankings after a disappointing 2025, beat Viktorija Golubic 6-2 6-2.
It was her best performance for some time as she dominated her Swiss opponent throughout. She will face local hope Linda Fruhvirtova in the last eight.
Sonay Kartal enjoyed a stroke of luck as she made it through to the quarter-finals of the Abu Dhabi Open.
Kartal was due play top seed and world No 9 Belinda Bencic in a tough second-round draw.
But the Swiss withdrew with illness and Kartal enjoyed a much more serene time against lucky loser Renata Zarazua, winning 6-0 6-3.
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