Emma Raducanu produced an impressive comeback to beat Veronika Kudermetova and set up an intriguing fourth-round meeting with Coco Gauff at the Italian Open.
Britain’s Raducanu beat the Russian 5-7 6-0 6-1 in a topsy-turvy match in Rome.
Raducanu served for the first set but was broken and lost three games in a row before reeling off eight games of her own. She grew in confidence as Kudermetova faltered, clenching her fists and yelling in celebration after a thumping forehand winner secured victory. “The best thing for me was recovering from the first set after serving for it,” the world number 49 told Sky Sports.
“I’m so happy that I didn’t let the rest of the match get away with me – I think that’s big progress maybe compared to the matches I’ve played in the past.” Raducanu will face a tough test against fellow former US Open champion Gauff, who reached the Madrid Open final earlier in May.
“I’m happy with the variety I have on my shots – I’m able to return from two different positions, which is new,” the Briton added. “I think I’m playing pretty good tennis right now and she’s going to be a great test.”
Raducanu said on Friday that she was still “finding her feet” on the clay but her movement, particularly sliding behind the baseline, improved as the match progressed.
She often spoke to Mark Petchey and Jane O’Donoghue in her coaching box. Petchey offered vocal encouragement throughout the match.
She and Kudermetova exchanged early breaks before a sterling return winner from Raducanu allowed her to serve for the set at 5-4.
However, the Briton’s first serve percentage dropped and she handed back the break on a double fault, before Kudermetova won three games in a row to take the first set. However, the Russian crumbled from there on.
An unfortunate bounce off a Raducanu shot wrong-footed Kudermetova in her first service game – and visibly annoyed, Kudermetova lost a 40-15 lead to suffer a break of serve, with her forehand in particular losing all timing. Raducanu moved better, sliding in and out of the corners, and rushed her way through five games in a row before Kudermetova took a medical timeout.
The Briton was smart during that timeout, staying on the court and hitting balls rather than sitting down and risk losing rhythm.
When Kudermetova returned, Raducanu picked up where she left off, taking the set at the third opportunity through another Kudermetova error.
A stunning return of serve from Raducanu put her a break up in the third set and she led 2-0. And despite Kudermetova then getting on the board, the Briton proved too strong, firing forehand winners, dictating the rallies and returning serve excellently to secure her place in the next round.
Earlier, world number one Aryna Sabalenka fought back to beat fellow Grand Slam champion Sofia Kenin 3-6 6-3 6-3. Belarusian Sabalenka, champion in Madrid last week, is the heavy favourite for the title after Iga Swiatek’s surprise third-round defeat on Saturday.
She will face a fourth-round match against Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, who beat Canada’s Leylah Fernandez 6-4 6-2, while Gauff won 7-5 6-3 against Poland’s Magda Linette.