Emma Raducanu has already stormed her A-Level exams in Maths and Economics and now she is on a mission in New York as she reaches the third round of the US Open on debut; the British teenager is yet to drop a set at Flushing Meadows
By Raz Mirza
Last Updated: 02/09/21 7:27pm
Emma Raducanu has yet to drop a set at this year’s US Open as she made the third round with an impressive win over the experienced Zhang Shuai
British teenager Emma Raducanu continued her dream run at the US Open with another impressive straight-sets victory. This time over China’s Zhang Shuai to reach the third round on debut.
The 18-year-old showed composure beyond her years to gain revenge over the Chinese No 1, who beat her at the Silicon Valley Classic in August, with a stunning 6-2 6-4 victory.
Raducanu has followed up her remarkable run to the last 16 at Wimbledon in July with another outstanding display at a major.
The right-hander from Bromley was determined to give her experienced rival a better contest after improving during the ensuing weeks having come through three rounds of qualifying and securing her first main draw victory in New York against Stefanie Vogele.
Q: 6-1 6-2 vs Schoofs
Q: 6-3 7-5 vs Bolkvadze
Q: 6-1 6-4 vs Sherif
R1: 6-2 6-3 vs Vogele
R2: 6-2 6-4 vs Zhang
Another great win by Emma Raducanu. She certainly looks like she’s very comfortable on these courts. The next match will be a really tough one but can’t wait to see how it pans out 💪🎾
— Jo Durie (@Jodurie) September 2, 2021
Qualifier Raducanu is one win away from matching her Wimbledon run in July
Raducanu made a whirlwind start on a sun-drenched Court 10 following Wednesday night’s heavy wind and torrential rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ida.
The world No 150 broke to love in the first game and appeared thoroughly accomplished on serve in building a 3-1 lead.
She continued to show the form that has made her one of the most high-profile young players in the world with an aggressive assault on Zhang’s serve. Her wand of a forehand was causing all sorts of damage and Raducanu soon closed out the set with another faultless service game.
The relentless pressure continued into the second set with Raducanu dominating the longer rallies to leave world No 49 Zhang bewildered.
Zhang, 32, cut a frustrated figure and was simply feeding off the scraps by the time Raducanu strode into a 4-0 lead.
But her opponent finally halted the teenager’s momentum with a run of three games in a row, although the teenager responded with a superb hold to move one game away from victory.
Zhang held to apply the pressure on Raducanu, but the Briton stayed calm and collected to get the job done and set up a third-round meeting with another of 2021’s form players Sara Sorribes Tormo after the Spaniard beat Su-Wei Hsieh 6-1 6-3.
Wimbledon champion Ashleigh Barty continued her relentless winning momentum
Should Raducanu reach the fourth round, she would likely get a crack at world No 1 Ashleigh Barty, who fought off the challenge of another 18-year-old in Dane Clara Tauson.
Barty, who has never been beyond the last 16 in New York, raced into a 5-0 lead but Tauson put up a strong fight in the second set, breaking the Wimbledon champion when she served for the match.
But Barty finished things off at the second attempt for a 6-1 7-5 victory.
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