Emma Raducanu's dizzying rise up the tennis ranks continues as she prepares for her third-round date with Sara Sorribes Tormo at the US Open on Saturday; the 18-year-old is yet to drop a set in either qualifying or the main draw
Friday 3 September 2021 22:47, UK
Emma Raducanu is "surprised" by the support she has received in the States as the British teenager prepares to face Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo for a spot in the fourth round of the US Open on Saturday.
It is only two months since the 18-year-old from Kent surged into the public consciousness with her stunning run to the fourth round of Wimbledon, but Raducanu has already taken several more strides forward.
She continued her dizzying rise up the tennis ranks with a hugely satisfying victory over Zhang Shuai in the second round, extending her winning streak to 12 matches since her defeat to the Chinese No 1 in San Jose a month ago.
Raducanu is yet to drop a set in either qualifying or the main draw as she showed none of the nerves that had afflicted her at the end of her first-round victory over Stefanie Voegele.
She will next take on another of 2021's form players in world No 41 Sorribes Tormo, where victory could be enough to propel her into the top 100.
The Spaniard won her maiden WTA title earlier this year in Guadalajara and has notched 30 wins on tour, with the majority coming on hardcourts.
Her results also include a quarter-final in Montreal, a semi-final in Cleveland ahead of the US Open and victory over world No 1 Ashleigh Barty at the Olympics.
But Raducanu will hope to have the support of the crowd. She already has quite a following and there was a sizeable crowd on court 10 to watch her latest victory, after which the Briton stayed behind to sign autographs and pose for pictures.
"I'm extremely grateful for all the support I've been receiving here in the States. Honestly, it's taken me a bit by surprise, but I'm so grateful for everyone who's cheering for me," she said.
"Of course I really want to connect with the fans and people watching because they're doing so much for me, getting me through some really, really tight moments. Connecting with them, I have so much fun, especially the younger kids. I hope that they can get a little bit inspired."
Raducanu retired during her fourth-round clash against Ajla Tomljanovic at Wimbledon with breathing difficulties but has already shown her physical improvements with five wins across qualifying and the main draw.
She said: "Wimbledon just taught me how physical I had to be for every single match and at the end it was my physicality that let me down.
"But that was my first tournament on the tour at such a high level so, having played four, five weeks, I'm still extremely fresh and new to the whole situation but I think, given the matches I've played, I'm able to keep up a lot more physically and I think that's definitely the biggest standout thing in my game that is going to take me far or is going to limit me."
The winner of the match is likely to earn a shot at Wimbledon champion Barty in the last 16.
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