Emma Raducanu reminded everyone why she is a Grand Slam champion with an excellent performance to reach the Wimbledon third round.
The Brit took on Marketa Vondrousova in Wednesday’s second round encounter, who was on a six-match winning streak.
The Czech player won her second WTA title at the Berlin Open just 10 days before she faced the British number one on Centre Court.
But Raducanu wasted little time dispatching the 2023 Wimbledon champion 6-3, 6-3 to book her place in the third round at the All-England Club once again.
What does Annabel Croft think Emma Raducanu must do to beat Aryna Sabalenka at Wimbledon?
Emma Raducanu’s emphatic victory against Vondrousova was built on her solid serving performance.
The 22-year-old won 68% of her first serve points and 67% of points behind her second serve, and blasted 18 winners in the process.
Raducanu beamed with pride after securing a big win, much to the delight of the centre court crowd. But the British number one has no time to rest on laurels.
If she wants to reach the last 16 for the third time, she must defeat World number one Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated Marie Bouzková to reach round three.
Looking ahead to the match, commentator Annabel Croft told BBC Radio 5 Live what Raducanu can do that can cause the three-time Grand Slam champion some problems.
“That’s quite a statement that Emma has put out,” Croft said. “I don’t think she could be hitting the ball any better, I really don’t. She was absolutely middling it.
“I would think that would be quite worrying for Sabalenka actually because she’ll be facing Raducanu at her best.
“If Raducanu can play anything close to that level again, although she may not be allowed to because Sabalenka will bring a lot of power, she will give the world number one a run for her money.”
What did Emma Raducanu say about her Wimbledon second round win?
Raducanu levelled her head-to-head rivalry with Vondrousova at two wins apiece and both of her wins came at Wimbledon.
This was expected to be a tricky encounter given Vondrousova’s form and experience winning Wimbledon.
But Raducanu looked extremely comfortable and repelled all advances from the Czech player, who converted just one of five break point chances.
Post-match, Raducanu was very pleased with her performance. “I think that was one of the best matches I’ve played in a long time, which I’m very proud of,” she said.
“At the same time, I didn’t feel like I was doing anything outrageous, which gives me a lot of confidence. I think I was just doing the basics very, very well. I think I executed really well today. I’m just so happy to have that level.”
