How Did Rybakina Overpower Raducanu in Third Round?

New York, Aug 29 (NationPress) The 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina from Kazakhstan decisively advanced to the fourth round of the women's singles at the US Open, overpowering the 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu from Great Britain with a straight-sets victory on Friday.

In a third-round showdown between two Grand Slam titans held at the Louis Armstrong Stadium, the No. 9 seed Rybakina lost only three games throughout the two sets, securing a 6-1, 6-2 triumph in just a little over an hour.

This marks Rybakina's first time reaching the fourth round at Flushing Meadows in her seventh appearance in the main draw of the tournament. The Kazakh athlete has now achieved the milestone of reaching the second week of all four Grand Slams. In her next match, she will take on either No. 7 seed Jasmine Paolini or another Wimbledon champion, Marketa Vondrousova.

In their two previous encounters, Rybakina has only allowed Raducanu four games. Their initial meeting occurred in the first round of Sydney 2022, shortly after Raducanu's stunning victory at the 2021 US Open, where Rybakina emerged victorious with a score of 6-0, 6-1.

Raducanu expressed prior to the tournament that 2025 would be the first year she could return to the US Open and truly relish the memories. After clinching the title in 2021, she faced early exits in both 2022 and 2024. On Friday, the 22-year-old Brit received ample support from her new coach, Francisco Roig, who is also Rafael Nadal’s former coach.

However, Raducanu's game rapidly deteriorated. Rybakina dominated the first set 6-1, aided by her formidable first serve, despite committing more unforced errors (10 compared to Raducanu's five).

Throughout the second set, Rybakina maintained relentless pressure, preventing Raducanu from stringing together more than a few consecutive points. Each time Raducanu scored a winner or held her serve, the midday crowd, which included renowned Vogue editor Anna Wintour, erupted in applause. Nevertheless, Rybakina faced no threats of being broken. Serving for the match with a 5-2 lead after just 60 minutes, she clinched victory on her first match point when Raducanu's backhand return sailed long.

“I’m quite pleased with my performance today. Playing against Emma is never easy,” Rybakina commented. “Sometimes the score doesn’t reflect the match dynamics, but she is indeed a tough competitor.”

“For some reason, the US Open hasn’t been particularly successful for me over the years,” Rybakina added during her on-court interview. “I hope this year marks a change.”