Raducanu shows glimpses of best form in beating former Wimbledon champion Vondrousova
LONDON — Emma Raducanu played some of her best tennis since her U.S. Open title in 2021 to sweep aside former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 6-3, 6-3 on Wednesday to reach the third round. Raducanu shows glimpses of best form in beating former Wimbledon champion Vondrousova
She may have to up her level even further in the next match, though: the British home favorite will be up against No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
'Yeah, I guess there's no pressure at all on me the next round,' Raducanu said, laughing.
There's always pressure on Raducanu playing at Wimbledon, especially after she became the first British woman since 1977 to capture a Grand Slam title when she won at Flushing Meadows as a qualifier four years ago.
She struggled with injuries and form after that, and her fourth-round showing at Wimbledon last year is her best result in a major since.
But her win against Vondrousova, the 2023 Wimbledon champion and 2019 French Open runner-up, showed Raducanu might be back to her best.
"She was playing amazing tennis," Vondrousova said. 'She was crushing me in the rallies, so there wasn't much I could do.'
Raducanu seemed pretty impressed with her own performance as well.
'I think today I played really, really well,' she said. 'I mean, there were some points that I have no idea how I turned around. ... I knew today I had to be aggressive because Marketa would beat me if I was going to push the ball around.'
More tennis: /hub/tennis
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. Stay updated with the latest sports news, including latest headlines and updates from the Olympics 2024, where Indian athletes will compete for glory in Paris. Catch all the action from tennis Grand Slam tournaments, follow your favourite football teams and players with the latest match results, and get the latest on international hockey tournaments and series.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
28 minutes ago
- Time of India
Wimbledon: Aryna Sabalenka avoids the wobble
LONDON: Whatever is said of World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka's volatile temper, that has seen her come undone in the closing stages of championships, she's as clean as a whistle in early rounds of majors. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now On a cloudy afternoon at , when the start of play was delayed on the outside courts, Sabalenka provided the sunshine, thumping 41 winners and breaking down the resistance of Czech Marie Bouzkova to score a 7-6 (4), 6-4 win to move into the third round. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. Of the last six Grand Slams that the 27-year-old Belarusian has played, she has made the final five times. She has lost three of those finals, two of them the result of meltdowns which became the talking point. Not enough is said, however, of her professionalism in the early stages of majors. She hasn't lost in the first or second rounds since 2021. This year her Tour record against opponents ranked outside the top-20 is 29-4. 'I'm just trying to focus on myself mainly. I know that when I'm focusing on myself, I'll be there fighting for every point,' the top-seed said. The reason why Sabalenka took to tennis was her father Sergey, who she lost suddenly in November 2019. For most of 2020 she struggled with the loss, but broke through to Grand Slam semifinals in 2021 — at Wimbledon and the US Open. Sabalenka's game is a beast, she's easily the hardest ball striker in the women's Tour today, and maybe the hardest hitter ever, but in recent years she has worked to bring other elements to her game. EXCLUSIVE | David Gower on Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah and India's England tour Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz put out British qualifier Oliver Tarvet 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 in the second round. Tarvet, who plays college tennis for the University of San Diego, made his major debut here. Meanwhile, Joao Fonseca extended his debut run at Wimbledon, holding off American Jenson Brooksby 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 to make the third round.
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Wimbledon 2025 Day 4 schedule: Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner eye Round 3 berths
Normalcy returned to Wimbledon on Wednesday as top seeds successfully cleared second-round hurdles and progressed after the first two days of chaos. Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka clinched comfortable second-round wins, but fourth seed Jasmine Paolini joined the likes of Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev in crashing out of the competition who needed five sets to win his opening round in London, took on British qualifier Oliver Tarvet. The defending champion was not the most popular man on Center Court as the crowd rooted for the local hope. However, Alcaraz got the job 22-year-old second seed was not at his best but after saving three break points in a nervy first service game against a college student ranked 733rd in the world, he asserted his authority to win 6-1 6-4 6-4. Wimbledon 2025: Full CoverageEarlier on Centre Court, women's top seed Sabalenka battled to a 7-6(4) 6-4 win against Czech Marie Thursday, seven-time champion Novak Djokovic and World No. 1 Jannik Sinner will highlight men's singles action while the likes of Iga Swiatek, Mirra Andreeva and Elena Rybakina will be in action in the women's singles will face a ticky test against veteran Dan Evans, a wildcard at Wimbledon. Djokovic will be looking to avoid five-setters early in the tournament in a bid to have a deeper run and achieve his goal of winning No. 25 at mouth-watering contest awaits the London crowd in the evening. On Court 1, fourth seed and local hope Jack Draper will take on veteran Marin Cilic in the men's singles second likes of Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul will also be in action while French showman CorentinMoutet will take on seasoned pro, Grigor Dimitrov on OF PLAY ON DAY 4: WIMBLEDON 2025 (ALL LOCAL TIMES)Centre Court (Start: 1:30pm)Dan Evans (GBR) vs. Novak Djokovic (SRB) [6]Iga Swiatek (POL) [8] vs. Catherine McNally (USA)Jannik Sinner (ITA) [1] vs. Aleksandar Vukic (AUS)No.1 Court (Start: 1:00pm)Mirra Andreeva (—) [7] vs. Lucia Bronzetti (ITA)Maria Sakkari (GRE) vs. Elena Rybakina (KAZ) [11]Jack Draper (GBR) [4] vs. Marin Cilic (CRO)No.2 Court (Start: 11:00am)Alex de Minaur (AUS) [11] vs. Arthur Cazaux (FRA)Not before 12:30pm:Luciano Darderi (ITA) leads Arthur Fery (GBR) 6–4, 6–3 (match to finish)Not before 1:30pm:Barbora Krejcikova (CZE) [17] vs. Caroline Dolehide (USA)Sofia Kenin (USA) [28] vs. Jessica Bouzas Maneiro (ESP)Ben Shelton (USA) [10] vs. Rinky Hijikata (AUS)No.3 Court (Start: 11:00am)Veronika Kudermetova (—) vs. Emma Navarro (USA) [10]Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) [19] vs. Corentin Moutet (FRA)Sebastian Ofner (AUT) vs. Tommy Paul (USA) [13]Daria Kasatkina (AUS) [16] vs. Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU)WHEN AND WHERE TO WATCH WIMBLEDON IN INDIAadvertisementStar Sports will provide TV coverage while JioHotstar will offer live streaming of Wimbledon from 3:30 pm IST. The live coverage of Day 4 can be followed on our website. - Ends
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Wimbledon: Zverev admits he is struggling to cope with life; Gauff ‘felt overwhelmed' after French Open triumph
Alexander Zverev (AP Photo) The Times of India at Wimbledon: This isn't about the timing of forehands and backhands. Rest assured, Alexander Zverev is feeling the ball quite well. This is about a sunless space. The joy is fading. The world No. 3, who went down in five sets to Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech in the Wimbledon first round on Tuesday, has said for the first time in his life that he is considering therapy. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! The 28-year-old German, one of the heavyweights of a generation that was tipped to take over from tennis' trinity — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic — is an Olympic gold medallist, and twice champion of the ATP's season finale, but is yet to win a Major. He has made three Grand Slam finals, most recently at Melbourne Park in January, where he was outplayed by the world No. 1 Jannik Sinner. Poll Do you believe professional athletes face unique mental health challenges? Yes, definitely No, it's the same as any job Maybe, it depends on the individual Not sure 'Generally speaking, I feel quite alone in life,' said Zverev, who is dating Sophia Thomalla, a 35-year-old actress, model, and television presenter. Zverev is of the belief that something within him has to change, and he's hoping that it will happen by the time he arrives in Toronto for the American hardcourt swing in late July. The German, diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as a four-year-old, has anger management issues, having launched an intimidating attack on an umpire's chair, following a doubles loss in Acapulco three years ago. Zverev has also been accused of violence by his former girlfriend Olga Sharypova in 2020 and of domestic abuse in 2023 by Brenda Patea, with whom he has a child. Zverev has categorically denied both sets of allegations. A Berlin court case filed by Patea was discontinued last year. 'I've been through a lot of difficulties in the media. I've been through a lot of difficulties in life generally,' he said. 'I've never felt this empty before, just lacking joy in everything that I do. It's a feeling that you're going to bed and you're just not really motivated for the next day, you don't really feel like waking up and going to work,' he said. 'I think everybody has had this feeling, it doesn't matter what job you had. For an athlete, it reflects on performance a lot.' EXCLUSIVE | David Gower on Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah and India's England tour Zverev was speaking for a community late on Tuesday. In recent times there has been a profusion of cases, with players bringing to light the challenges of life on the tour. World No. 2 Coco Gauff, who claimed her second Grand Slam title at Roland Garros in June, was bounced out of the Wimbledon first round late on Tuesday, failing to Dayana Yastremska in straight sets. 'I feel like mentally I was a little bit overwhelmed with everything that came afterwards,' the 21-year-old American said of the days following her triumph. 'I didn't feel like I had enough time to celebrate and also get back. The turnaround was quick.' After limping out of Roland Garros in late May, Casper Ruud, the two-time French Open finalist, called the ATP Rankings a 'rat race'. 'You feel obligated to play, you feel like you lose a lot if you don't show up and play, economically, points-wise, ranking-wise and opportunity-wise,' said Ruud. Spirited Aussie Alex de Minaur, who complained of being burnt out in just the fifth month of the season, called for a shorter schedule. After crashing out in the first round to Arthur Fery, a British player ranked No. 461, Alexei Popyrin told reporters that he felt 'numb' and 'unmotivated'. 'I was underprepared going into Wimbledon, that's something you know can't happen again,' the 25-year-old Aussie said. 'I'm not upset because of today. I'm upset because of everything that's happened before. I have to prioritise mental health.' While Zverev's struggles are different, it's about striking a balance between tennis and life. Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
