Raducanu eases into third round with 6-3, 6-2
Briton will face either Sabalenka or Vondrousova next
The Francisco Roig era of Emma Raducanu’s career began with a positive performance as the 30th seed defeated Olga Danilovic of Serbia 6-3, 6-2 on a sweltering day in the second round at the Cincinnati Open.
Raducanu’s recent progress has been driven by her reliability against inferior opponents and she is now 19-4 against lower-ranked players over the past year. Having spent much of the past four years struggling to string together wins, she is now as match-tough as she has ever been.
A far greater test awaits Raducanu, who had received a first-round bye owing to her status as a seeded player, in round three. A Wimbledon rematch is guaranteed as she will either face the world No 1, Aryna Sabalenka, her conqueror in the third round, or the 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, who Raducanu defeated in round two this summer.
