Emma Raducanu is relishing the chance to face Naomi Osaka after setting up a blockbuster first meeting in Washington. Playing her first match since she pushed Aryna Sabalenka in the third round of Wimbledon, the British No. 3 took out Marta Kostyuk 7-6(4) 6-4 to advance at the Citi Open.
Raducanu’s reward is a second-round clash with four-time Major winner Osaka. And the 22-year-old says the experience will be similar to the one she had at her home Grand Slam tournament against world No. 1 Sabalenka a few weeks ago.
Like Raducanu, Osaka – who beat Yulia Putintseva in straight sets in her own first-round match in Washington – also won her first Grand Slam title at the US Open. She went on to win three more Majors and reached No. 1 in the world.
Raducanu, meanwhile, has struggled to replicate the form that saw her become the only qualifier in history to win a Grand Slam title four years ago. She has been dogged by injuries and shut down her 2023 season to have three surgeries.
The Japanese star has also had some difficulties and periods of absence from the tour. Osaka has been outspoken about her mental health, and she took a break from tennis to welcome her first child in 2023.
But this is the first time their paths will cross on the tour. It’s a highly-anticipated matchup, and Raducanu believes she’ll thrive in the atmosphere.
The world No. 46 said: “Yeah, I’m looking forward to the match. I think it’s a great match for a lot of spectators, which is great to be a part of.
“I felt the same way when I played Aryna at Wimbledon. That atmosphere was unbeatable for me. Playing at Wimbledon, especially. I seem to really thrive and enjoy that moment.
“I’m looking forward to again playing Naomi, and I think all the exposure I get to these top opponents, she’s won four Grand Slams, so an incredible achievement and incredible career so far, and she’s been playing really good tennis this year. Yeah, it will be a great test of my own game and myself.”
A quarter-finalist here last year, Raducanu scored a big win over world No. 27 Kostyuk, who beat her in a tight opening match at the Madrid Open in April but is now on a six-match losing streak dating back to Rome in May.
It was a tight first set as both women traded breaks early on. Raducanu raced into a 4-0 lead in the tiebreak before Kostyuk battled back to 4-4, but the Brit still came out on top in the 70-minute set.
Raducanu got an early break in set two and went 4-1 up before Kostyuk won three games in a row. But she broke to seal victory when the Ukrainian was serving to stay in the match.
Afterwards, the former US Open champion said: “I’m very pleased to have gone through that. Difficult first round. I lost to Marta earlier on in the year in Madrid. So to have come through that, yeah, I’m really happy.
“Also, adjusting to the conditions here in America, it’s very lively. The balls fly a lot, so it’s very different to the grass.”
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