Emma Raducanu stormed into the third round of the US Open with another lightning-quick victory on the Louis Armstrong Stadium. On Monday, the British No. 1 earned her first win in Flushing Meadows since her historic title triumph in 2021. It was her fastest match win at any Grand Slam tournament, lasting just 62 minutes.
And the world No. 36 broke her own record as she thrashed Indonesian qualifier Janice Tjen 6-2 6-1 in exactly an hour to start play on day four of the tournament. She could now face a tough test against former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.
Tjen had already caused a massive upset in her opening match. Making her Grand Slam main draw debut as a qualifier, the world No. 149 stunned 24th seed Veronika Kudermetova in three sets.
Raducanu knows exactly what it’s like to be a qualifier in Flushing Meadows. She won 10 matches in a row to lift the trophy here in 2021, becoming the only qualifier in tennis history to be crowned a Grand Slam champion.
The Brit even inspired Tjen, who, ahead of the match, said: “Just seeing her doing it inspired me to be able to do it, as well. Emma is very big (in Indonesia). Everyone loves Emma at home.”
But Raducanu made sure that Tjen wouldn’t become the second player to come through the preliminary rounds to win a Major, as she ended her run with a statement performance in the second round.
There were some early nerves for Tjen, who was broken in her opening service game on the 14,000-strong stadium. Raducanu was then forced to save three break points to pull ahead before her vocal new coach, Francisco Roig, shouted: “You’re 3-0 up, vamos” from the sidelines.
The British No. 1 broke again to take the first set 6-2 in just 31 minutes, firing down five aces to just one from the qualifier. Raducanu continued her relentless attack, reeling off a fifth straight game as she took a 3-0 lead in set two.
“It’s absolutely top quality from Raducanu because she’s just not giving her opponent any time to breathe, she’s just suffocating her in the rallies, she’s not giving her any unforced errors,” Tim Henman said, sitting courtside for Sky Sports.
The 2021 champion didn’t let up. Tjen dumped the ball into the net, giving Raducanu another chance to break. “We take it, we breathe, and we’re ready for the next one,” Roig told his charge.
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