Emma Raducanu tipped for a top-10 return after running Aryna Sabalenka close
Emma Raducanu produced an impressive display but could not down Aryna Sabalenka (Adam Davy/PA)
Raducanu will now drop to British number three behind Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal, who is the last home woman left in singles, but that will not be the case for long if she can maintain this level.
The former US Open champion has made it her goal to close the gap to the world's best and, having lost twice heavily to Iga Swiatek in the other two grand slams this year, she can feel very differently after her performance here.
'She played such incredible tennis and she pushed me really hard to get this win,' said Sabalenka. 'I fight for every point like crazy.
'I'm super happy to see her healthy and back on track. I'm pretty sure that she will be back in the top 10 soon.'
SABALENKA SHINES ✨
The world No.1 beats Emma Raducanu 7-6(6), 6-4 in a thrilling Centre Court battle#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/CFrWZd6NBN
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2025
For the second time in just over 24 hours, a leading British hope came into the press room with eyes red from tears, but, unlike Jack Draper, Raducanu will leave Wimbledon feeling she is closer to the very top rather than further away.
'It's hard to take a loss like that,' said Raducanu, who revealed she had sought solace in a locker room KitKat.
'At the same time, I'm playing Aryna, who is number one in the world, a great champion. I have to be proud of my effort today.
'It's nice of her to say that, but I think it was pretty clear the difference. In the big moments, she was able to convert, she was able to hit some incredible shots. I just need to keep working and get back to the drawing board and improve a lot more.
'It does give me confidence because I think the problem before was that I felt like I was gulfs away from the very top. Having a match like that where I had chances in both sets, it does give me confidence.'
Emma Raducanu had Centre Court fired up (Adam Davy/PA)
Unlike Draper, Raducanu is naturally at home on grass, with her exceptional ability to take the ball early, particularly on return, mitigating her lack of pure power.
She gave Sabalenka a decent run for her money in their only previous meeting, in Indian Wells last spring, and a clean return winner off a second serve in the opening game showed the Belarusian that she very much meant business.
Raducanu broke to lead 4-2 before ceding her advantage in a rush of errors – something she later blamed on problems with string tension in the indoor conditions.
A remarkable 10th game saw Sabalenka fail to take seven set points, six of them through backhand errors, and the home crowd were on their feet when Raducanu broke to lead 6-5.
Aryna Sabalenka overcame a battling Emma Raducanu (John Walton/PA)
But Sabalenka is a much stronger mental competitor these days and she played a classy game to break back before saving a set point in the tie-break with the coolest of drop shots.
Raducanu dealt with the disappointment of losing the set extremely well and hit a purple patch to move into a 4-1 lead.
She played her best tennis of the match to create a chance for the double break but just missed a forehand long, giving Sabalenka the chink of light she needed to power through to the next round.
'I don't think I could have made different choices, I think I should have just executed better,' added Raducanu, who will now turn her attention to the North American hard court swing.
'I'll probably find it tough to sleep tonight, or I'll be so exhausted and crash, I don't know. It's going to take me a few days to process that. But at the same time it really motivates me.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
18 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Cosmic Year expected to shine in Prix Jean Prat outing
Part of an outstanding group of three-year-olds assembled by leading owners Juddmonte, he was last seen chasing home Field of Gold in the Irish 2,000 Guineas and now reverts to seven furlongs seeking his own top-level success. Charlton said: 'He's in good form, we gave him a little break after Ireland as we knew we weren't going to Royal Ascot due to Juddmonte's team of other horses, so we've kind of been targeting this race since the Curragh and he's been moving great. He seems in good nick and we're very happy with him. Cosmic Year winning at Newmarket earlier this year (David Davies/PA) 'I hope he's still got lots more to come, we're still learning about him as he's obviously come into this year very inexperienced. 'I'd be happy to run a mile again but seven furlongs is perfect for him, he's done most of his racing at seven and he's a quick horse. He has the speed for seven furlongs but I do think he gets the mile.' Charlton saw Juddmonte hotpot Kikkuli turned over in this Group One event 12 months ago but is taking plenty of encouragement from Curragh conqueror Field Of Gold's dazzling display in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, which gives a timely polish to Cosmic Year's fine run in Ireland. He added: 'Ireland was a slightly odd race for us as we probably got a little further back than we wanted and then it was kind of done and dusted and Field Of Gold is a very good horse who put the race to bed before we got going really. 'It's exciting if he can improve from that and it should give him a great chance of figuring on Sunday.' Shadow Of Light has a great record (Mike Egerton for The Jockey Club/PA) While Cosmic Year was seen just the once as a two-year-old, Charlie Appleby's Shadow Of Light was busy making a name for himself by winning both the Middle Park and Dewhurst Stakes in the autumn. Upped to a mile for his return, he was beaten a length by stablemate Ruling Court when third in the 2000 Guineas and having since finished fifth in the Commonwealth Cup over six furlongs at Royal Ascot, he splits the difference by returning to his Dewhurst-winning distance. Appleby told 'The drop back in trip and quick ground caught out Shadow Of Light in the Commonwealth Cup, but he came out of the race in great nick. 'Stepping back up to seven furlongs is a positive, and hopefully the ground at Deauville will be a bit more forgiving. We will be on weather watch and a decision will be made on the day after we have had a look at the ground. 'I can't fault his preparation going into this and feel he is the horse to beat if he can run up to anywhere near the form of his Guineas third.' The Lion In Winter represents Aidan O'Brien (Mike Egerton/PA) Further British and Irish interest is provided by Aidan O'Brien's one-time Derby hope The Lion In Winter, who drops back in trip significantly after disappointing in the premier Classic at Epsom. Meanwhile, Christopher Head's Maranoa Charlie will run in the colours of Bond Thoroughbreds after the Yorkshire operation purchased the son of Wootton Bassett following his recent Prix Paul de Moussac win at Saint-Cloud. Christophe Ferland's Silius has finished second to Maranoa Charlie the last twice, with Francis-Henri Graffard's Woodshauna also a live hope for the home team having accounted for Harry Eustace's Royal Ascot heroine Time For Sandals in the Prix Texanita.
The Herald Scotland
28 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Convergent seeking German Derby glory for Burke
The lightly-raced Convergent heads across Europe with leading claims, having confirmed the promise of a couple of low-key wins at Redcar by finishing third behind subsequent dual Derby winner Lambourn and the Epsom runner-up and Curragh third Lazy Griff in the Chester Vase in May. Burke said: 'I'm looking forward to seeing him run. He's a progressive horse, we think he's a really nice horse with a big future in front of him, so hopefully he can prove that on Sunday. 'We missed Royal Ascot because of the ground – he'd have gone there if it had been a bit slower ground. They say the ground is beautiful in Hamburg with a lovely covering of grass and we've got a reasonable draw (stall seven), so all things being equal he should run a big race.' Reflecting on his Chester performance, the trainer added: 'It wasn't the plan to make the running there, I know making the running can help at Chester but he's a big, raw horse and because nothing wanted to go forward we ended up in front. 'I wouldn't say it was a huge disadvantage, but he'll be a better horse with a lead and I think we'd have finished closer again if we'd been tracking them rather than them tracking us.' Convergent is the sole British raider in a field of 18 runners.
The Herald Scotland
28 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Rhyse Martin has no regrets leaving Leeds for Hull KR
Martin could hardly have timed his recovery better having returned for last week's win over Wakefield, and is now in line to feature against the Rhinos, for whom he made 132 appearances and amassed over 1000 points. Rhyse Martin has returned from injury in time to face former club Leeds at Craven Park (Mike Egerton/PA) Martin told the PA news agency: 'Coming to the club to try and add something to the team, it was something I definitely didn't want to happen. I wanted to be on the field showing what I can do for this team. But I'm back now and I get another chance to earn the respect of my team-mates. 'For me it just felt like time to make a change and take up a new challenge, where I've had to start again. I think when you're in that sort of position it brings the best of you as a player. When you take up a new challenge you find out what you're made of and how tough you are.' Martin's Rhinos career always looked likely to come to a close as they headed towards a second consecutive season without a play-off berth, and for a time he looked likely to return to Australia before Willie Peters stepped in to add the cool goal-kicker – who jointly holds the world record for 41 consecutive successful kicks – to his talent pool. Rhyse Martin scored over 1000 points during his career with Leeds (Mike Egerton/PA) The departure of former head coach Rohan Smith in June added to the uncertainty at Headingley, and with his replacement Brad Arthur still far from certain of his long-term plans, Martin said the situation confirmed his decision to move elsewhere. Going through the 'horrible' experience of watching Rovers' Challenge Cup win over Warrington from the sidelines has only served to confirm his desire to win more with Rovers, and a win over the Rhinos, one of the biggest contenders for a top-two slot, would be a big step in the right direction. 'My time at Rhinos was good but I was thinking about the next couple of years,' added Martin. 'I think they're in a position where they're not sure where they're going with their head coach, whereas I knew at Rovers there was stability and they were pushing for silverware, so that really made the decision a lot easier.'
