British No.1 Emma Raducanu shrugged off a “tough” injury scare as she battled into the Queen’s Championships semi-finals on Saturday.
Raducanu beat Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3 7-5 in a match delayed by a day after heavy rain in west London, which means she will have to also play her semi-final, against American teenager Iva Jovic, later the same day.
She needed three match points to see off world No 78 Rakhimova in a tense service game, screaming with delight as she booked her place in the last four – which will feature two Brits, after Katie Boulter sealed her biggest win by ranking, over world No 2 and Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina, late on Friday.
The 23-year-old said: “It was a match of ups and downs, I’m really grateful for the support I had in some really tough moments, and closing out that second set.”
The victory signals Raducanu’s return to the sharp, aggressive baseline tennis that fueled her hard-court final appearance in February. By maintaining her unblemished set record this week, she establishes herself as a formidable contender heading into the tournament’s concluding stages.
(The Whistler)
