Emma Raducanu has stormed to victory in her third round match at Wimbledon tonight breezing past the world number nine dropping just five games.
The 21-year-old beat Greece’s Maria Sakkari 6-2 6-3 to reach the fourth round at SW19 for the first time since her dream run in 2021.
Raducanu played clinically as she put ball after ball past the ninth seed – who was far from her best tonight.
The victory marks the 21 year old’s second top 10 win in under a fortnight after she beat Jessica Pegula at Eastbourne last week.
Raducanu was watched by Hollywood legend Dustin Hoffman and his wife Lisa in the coveted Royal Box as well Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber.
The Brit said in her post match interview: ‘I think today was really up there with the most fun I’ve had on a tennis court.
‘I was just telling myself how many times in your life do you get the opportunity to play in front of a full Centre Court so I’m really grateful for the support.’
Emma Raducanu during her third round match at Wimbledon on Friday night
Raducanu and Sakkari walk out for their third round encounter on Centre Court
Emma Raducanu in action against Maria Sakkari on day five of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships
Sonay Kartal (right) shakes hands with Coco Gauff (left) following their match on Court One
Sonay Kartal acknowledges the crowd as she leaves the court following defeat against Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff waves to the crowd as she celebrates winning against Sonay Kartal
Emma Raducanu is taking on world number nine Maria Sakkari in a hotly contested match up for a place in the fourth round of Wimbledon
It is almost three years to the day since the British wildcard made her breakthrough run to the last 16 at SW19
Raducanu waves to a jubilant crowd under the roof on Court One after her impressive victory against Mertens
Raducanu greets Mertens at the net after brushing her opponent aside in a rapid 6-1 6-2 victory
Raducanu in action against Mertens during their second round match
The 21-year-old lets out a triumphant roar after taking the first set 6-1 against her higher ranked Belgian opponent Elise Mertens
The match started with an error-strewn first game from the Greek, which gave Raducanu an immediate break of serve.
However, the big difference between the two was their handling of the big points.
Raducanu was exceptional, saving five break points across three games in the first set, one with an ace and another a searing forehand down the line.
She had Sakkari at 0-40 in the fifth game without managing to break but found the cushion she was looking for when an Andy Murray-esque lob landed on the baseline to give her a 5-2 lead.
Sakkari had two more chances in the next game but again Raducanu was rock solid, and there was an air of real excitement around Centre Court when she secured another break to lead 2-1 in the second set.
Errors were flowing again from the racket of a frustrated Sakkari, who vented in exasperation at her support box as Raducanu survived another close game, saving two more break points, one with a second-serve ace.
Sakkari saved two match points serving at 3-5 but sent a forehand wide on the third to leave Raducanu grinning in delight.
Raducanu’s match – which was played under the roof – comes as her British rival Sonay Kartal, 22, took on second seed Coco Gauff in her third round match, losing out 6-4 6-0.
Kartal and Raducanu have a long-standing rivalry going back to when they were children and would regularly play each other in the finals of national junior tournaments in the UK.
Raducanu has since found it easier to break onto the pro tour which kicked off with her run at Wimbledon in 2021.
Kartal, however, who came through qualifying, had never won a match at a Grand Slam before her run this week.
Emma Raducanu mother, Renee Zhai, watching her daughter play Sakkari
A Raducanu supporter waves his Union Jack cushion to the amusement of those around him
There were smiles and cheers on Court One after Raducanu recaptured the sparkling form that saw her win her first Grand Slam at the tender age of 18
The former British number one raced into a 5-0 lead in the first set to make the perfect start to her second round clash
Raducanu was in imperious form during the early stages of her clash with the world number 33
A beaming Raducanu on court with a Wimbledon towel draped over her shoulders during her post match interview
Raducanu was in imperious form during her second round match with BBC’s Annabel Croft saying it would ‘put a few frighteners through the women’s draw’
It is a late start for Raducanu today after an epic five set thriller over almost four hours in the men’s singles with Carlos Alcaraz being forced to dig deep to defend his Wimbledon title against Frances Tiafoe.
The nation is pinning their hopes on the 21 year old who made her return to the tournament this year after an injury-forced absence 12 months ago.
Her stunning Wimbledon debut in 2021 was was cruelly halted by breathing difficulties in her fourth round encounter against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic.
Raducanu and Sakkari have met just once before – in the semi-final of the 2021 US Open – when the Brit cruised to victory 6-1 6-4.
It was the win that placed Raducanu in her first ever grand slam final and from there she went onto lift the Flushing Meadows trophy.
The 21 year old goes into their second match up today having already come through two relatively straight forward games – she is also yet to drop a set.
In the first round she beat World No 98 Renata Zarazua from Mexico 7-6 6-3 after she clinched the first set in the tiebreak.
Raducanu then cruised past Belgian player Elise Mertens in the second round on Court One.
Speaking after the match against the Mexican opponent, Raducanu said: ‘I’m incredibly happy to be back here. I was for sure nervous, I think everyone could see that in my tennis.’
She added: ‘It’s amazing to play an opponent like Renata. It’s not every day when in the morning you’re not in the draw, and the afternoon you’re playing on Centre Court, so props to her.’
Against Mertens, the former British number was able to recapture the kind of form that saw her win her first Grand Slam at the young age of 18 in 2021.
Raducanu was repeatedly interrupted by a cheering buoyant crowd as she spoke on court with a Wimbledon towel draped over her shoulders after her impressive win.
‘I think I played some really good tennis today I’m really pleased,’ she said. ‘I’m over the moon to be playing here and just extend my stay.
‘With the roof closed it was super loud and I’m so grateful to all the support today. I’m really appreciative to everyone making a lot of noise.’
And she spoke of the ‘real gift and honour’ of playing in the mixed doubles with Andy Murray who is appearing at Wimbledon for the last time.
‘It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. It’s a dream of mine since I was a young girl watching the Olympics,’ she said.
Britain’s Emma Raducanu reacts during her third round match against Greece’s Maria Sakkari
Raducanu takes off her jacket as she prepares for the Women’s 3rd round match against Maria Sakkari of Greece
Emma Raducanu during her third round match at Wimbledon
‘Andy’s a hero to us all, so for me it’s a real gift and a real honour that he asked me.’
Murray said himself it would be ‘brilliant’ to play mixed doubles with Raducanu, after the only two active British Grand Slam champions made a late night pact to pair up at Wimbledon.
The dream pairing for British fans was announced on Wednesday morning, and after his practice session for the men’s double with brother Jamie, Murray said: ‘We’d spoken about it a few years ago during the Covid year but both of us were doing quite well in the singles and it didn’t happen.
‘Yesterday I was chatting to my team and we were discussing mixed and last night I messaged her coach and asked if he thought it might be something she’d be up for doing. He said it was worth asking, so I did.
‘Thankfully I got quite a quick reply! It was quite late yesterday evening when I sent the message, it would have been after 9pm so I was a bit worried she might have been in bed.
‘But I got a quick reply. She said: ‘Yeah, let’s do it’.
‘It should be fun. I have played mixed doubles a few times when I was young and then the last time was with Serena.
‘I really enjoyed it, it’s something we rarely get to do. And to get a chance to do it with Emma…well, it’s my last chance to do it, so it should be good.’
