Emma Raducanu goes down swinging in thrilling loss to Aryna Sabalenka
The 22-year-old played some electrifying tennis under the roof on Centre Court but was unable to apply the finishing touches, eventually going down 7-6 (6) 6-4 after exactly two hours.
The first set alone took 74 minutes, with Raducanu saving seven set points and creating one of her own, while she led 4-1 in the second before Sabalenka recovered to set up a fourth-round clash with Elise Mertens.
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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
7 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Jannik Sinner barely breaks sweat to cruise through Martínez mismatch
The key sequence, perhaps the only real piece of content in this 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 third round victory for Jannik Sinner against a semi-fit, utterly outmatched Pedro Martínez came midway through the second set on Centre Court. To that point the entire contest had felt like the tennis equivalent of watching an injured lemur being run down, idly, by a slightly bored big cat. Martínez had come into this match with an injured shoulder. Hmm. An injured shoulder against Jannik Sinner. How's that going to work out? Pretty much from the start every break in play saw the Spaniard's shirt off, shoulder being furiously pounded by medical orderlies, eyes boggled, chest hair damp with sweat, while a few yards away Sinner sat completely still, unmoved, a neat man in a cap, thinking. The roof was on for this match as a light drizzle fell outside. It is a magnificent suburban thing, the greatest side return conservatory in south-west London. Roof up, Centre Court becomes Kew Gardens, steamy, fragrant, the lunchtime chitter-chatter intimate and echoey. Here it was even a little soporific at the start. The first set had already been folded away 6-1. The second seemed to heading the same way until, at 4-2 down, and with Martínez already serving like a man leaning back in a rocking chair and listening to his own neck creak, the Spaniard was seized by a combination of endorphins and what-the-heck professional pride, and from there managed to muster up a couple of games that lasted almost as long as the entire match to that point. The first extended deuce felt like an act of mild torture. Martínez began to groan and breathe heavily. More? Really? But he took the game in the end to huge cheers from the crowd and walked back to his chair looking as if he had just done 40 minutes in a notably violent, full contact, twig-thrashing Finnish sauna. Martínez at least got to enjoy this sequence, and to entertain the crowd, showing heart and skill, punching the air, grinning occasionally. Sinner's calm through this was also notable. The world No 1 aced out break points. He stuck to the processes, barely sweating, still wearing the same shrewd, wary look. He steered Martínez gently to 5-3, with an injection of cold-eyed, quick-footed precision, finding angles with his backhand drives, then closing the set with a perfect diagonal half-court volley. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion From there the final set disappeared in a haze of creaks and groans from the persevering Martínez, and an effortless reassertion of crisp, clean baseline control. The question of how to beat Sinner, or even how to ruffle his low-tick intensity, was no closer to being answered by the end. At least for anyone in the draw who happens not to be called Carlos Alcaraz. Sinner was able to move through this match without taking anything out of himself. He talked up the quality of the rallies at the end, shrugged and sighed at Martínez's physical state, praising his ability to carry on. No Italian man or woman has ever won a Wimbledon singles title. On current form the list of people with a decent shot at stopping that sequence being broken this year currently stands at one.
Scottish Sun
12 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Tearful Emma Raducanu reveals showdown talks with coach Mark Petchey after Wimbledon exit
FIGHTING back the tears, Emma Raducanu said she will hold showdown talks with coach Mark Petchey about their future working arrangement. But she claims she will head next month to New York – the scene of her greatest triumph – brimming with confidence she CAN match the world's best. 3 Emma Raducanu was knocked out of Wimbledon on Friday night Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 3 Raducanu was respectably beaten by world No1 Aryna Sabalenka Credit: Reuters Raducanu, 22, ate a KitKat chocolate bar in the locker room after her two-hour two-set slugfest with world No1 Aryna Sabalenka on Friday night. For those who had doubted whether the Brit would ever replicate the magical form she showed when lifting the US Open four years ago, this was a demonstration of her abilities. Though she fell short, and was unable to capitalise on two clutch moments in set two, she earned widespread respect for slugging it out with the three-time Grand Slam champion on Centre Court. Petchey, who joined her team on a part-time basis in March, has had a transformative impact on her form and demeanour but there is no guarantee that coaching gig will continue. READ MORE WIMBLEDON HEALTH WORRY Wimbledon ball kid removed from court as umpire is forced to ask for help The former tennis player earns a decent living as a respected TV analyst but has to decide now whether to give that all up to sit in Raducanu's box. Raducanu said: 'It's very difficult. He obviously also has his commentating commitments. 'He agreed to help me until the end of Wimbledon and then we kind of see from there. 'Because he gave up some work to work with me here, which I really appreciate and I'm grateful for. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK 'That's a conversation that we need to have after a few days and the dust settles a little bit.' Clutching a tissue and sniffling constantly, Raducanu had slightly red eyes when she addressed the world's media following her exit. Cam Norrie bats away awkward question about Emma Raducanu's love life It has been an emotional summer for the Kent-based superstar, one in which she has faced security concerns and received 'some pretty bad news' during her run in Eastbourne. But as self-critical as she is about her own displays, she is proud of how she competed toe-for-toe with Sabalenka, 27, especially in a 74-minute opening set under a closed roof. And that only bodes well for the hard-court swing in North America. 'IT GIVES ME CONFIDENCE' Raducanu – who will play the Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington later this month – said: 'It's hard to take a loss like that. '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. At the same time, it's very difficult to take right now. 'It gives me confidence that I'm not as far away as I perhaps thought before the tournament. 'Before when I was playing those top-five players, it was pretty convincing, the loss. 'IT'S A BIT OF A LEVELLER' 'I feel like grass for me is a great surface. It's a bit of a leveller in that sense. 'Taking it onto a different surface where it's a lot more lively in America is another challenge in itself. 'There's still a lot of things that I want to do better, a lot of things I want to improve to solidify my game, so that in the big moments I can back myself a little bit more. 'I don't think I've really had a loss like this in a long time, where I feel like I maybe had chances and didn't take them. Usually I'm pretty good at converting. 'In the big moments, Aryna 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.' 3
The Sun
12 minutes ago
- The Sun
Wimbledon 2025 LIVE RESULTS: Play on NOW as Djokovic headlines Day 6, Shelton, Sinner and Swiatek also feature
WIMBLEDON is heading towards the business end at the All England Club. Novak Djokovic headlines Day 6 as he takes on fellow Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic in the third round. The likes of Jannik Sinner, Ben Shelton and Iga Swiatek all feature this afternoon in SW19. Last night, Emma Raducanu was dumped out by World No1 Aryna Sabalenka, despite a brave display. By Connor Greaves Good morning and welcome to SunSport's live blog of Wimbledon! The iconic British tennis tournament gets underway today at the All England Club, and some huge names are in action! A whopping FOURTEEN Brits will begin their campaigns with the likes of Emma Raducanu, Katie Boulter, Jacob Fearnley and Cameron Norrie all competing in SW19 on opening day. Carlos Alcaraz headlines on Centre Court as he starts his bid for a third title against Italian Fabio Fognini. The likes of Jack Draper and Novak Djokovic will have to wait until Tuesday to get their tournaments underway. SunSport will bring you all the action from SW19 over the next 14 days right here.
