Raducanu shows glimpses of best form in beating former Wimbledon champion Vondrousova

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9 hours ago

Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic plays a return to Emma Raducanu of Britain during their second round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 2, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Emma Raducanu of Britain plays a return to Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic during their second round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 2, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Emma Raducanu of Britain plays a return to Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic during their second round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 2, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Emma Raducanu of Britain plays a return to Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic during their second round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 2, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Emma Raducanu of Britain celebrates winning the second round women's singles match against Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 2, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Emma Raducanu of Britain celebrates winning the second round women's singles match against Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 2, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic plays a return to Emma Raducanu of Britain during their second round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 2, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Emma Raducanu of Britain plays a return to Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic during their second round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 2, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Emma Raducanu of Britain plays a return to Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic during their second round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 2, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Emma Raducanu of Britain plays a return to Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic during their second round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 2, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Emma Raducanu of Britain celebrates winning the second round women's singles match against Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 2, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
LONDON (AP) — 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.
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.
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'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.'
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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.'
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More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis