Raducanu lost in three sets, in three-hour match
‘I served and returned really well in certain moments’
Emma Raducanu says she is proud of the improvements she displayed on Monday afternoon as she pushed Aryna Sabalenka to the limit in their punishing tussle.
Five weeks on from their memorable third-round match at Wimbledon, Raducanu showed her continued progress by making life even more difficult for the world No 1 in Cincinnati and coming close to pulling off the best individual victory of her career. After three hours and nine minutes on court, Raducanu lost 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-6 (5).
“She’s world No 1 for a reason and I pushed her more than I did at Wimbledon so that’s an improvement,” said Raducanu. “And also, it was good to have this result on a hard court because it’s very different to grass. I was always thinking that grass suits me a lot more and I still believe that so to have pushed her on a hard court like that, I’m pretty proud of it.”
