Emma’s back!! Raducanu charges past Sakkari into Wimbledon second week

Rekindling the form that saw her take the tennis world by storm in 2021, 135th-ranked Emma Raducanu has surged into the second week of Wimbledon for the first time since 2021. It all began for the British star at Wimbledon three years ago, as she went on an electrifying run from qualifying that year, reaching the sweet 16 in her Grand Slam main draw debut.

Two months later she became the first person to ever win the US Open on her main draw debut – from qualifying, no less – as she defeated Leylah Fernandez in the final to cap a 10-match run for the ages in Flushing Meadows.

She has been unable to reproduce that form in the interim, with injuries and pressure taking its toll, but this year in London, Raducanu is in resplendent form once again.

Case in point? Friday’s 6-2, 6-3 thrashing of ninth-seeded Maria Sakkari on Centre Court, a match in which the 21-year-old (yes, she’s still only 21!) hardly put a foot wrong.

Raducanu, ranked No 135, will play New Zealander qualifier Lulu Sun next.

Sun, ranked 123, became the first player from New Zealand to reach the second week of Wimbledon with her win over China’s Lin Zhu earlier on Friday.

She saved all seven break points she faced and took advantage of 31 unforced errors from Sakkari’s racquet, converting three of four break points to 18-7 lifetime at the majors and 7-2 at Wimbledon.

Emma Raducanu beat Mexican lucky loser Renata Zarazua (7-6, 6-3) and Belgian Elise Mertens (6-1, 6-2) in the previous rounds of The Championships.

Earlier in the tournament, Sakkari, ranked No 9, defeated American qualifier McCartney Kessler (6-3, 6-1) and Dutchwoman Arantxa Rus (7-5, 6-3).

Wimbledon (Grand Slam), other third-round matches (All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, grass, GBP 50,000,000, most recent results first):

• Coco Gauff (2) beat Sonay Kartal (Q): 6-4, 6-0
• Madison Keys (12) beat Marta Kostyuk (18): 6-4, 6-3
• Emma Navarro (19) beat Diana Shnaider: 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
• Paula Badosa beat Daria Kasatkina (14): 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-4
• Jasmine Paolini (7) beat Bianca Andreescu: 7-6 (4), 6-1
• Lulu Sun beat Lin Zhu: 7-6 (4), 7-6 (6)
• Harriet Dart vs. Xinyu Wang
• Ons Jabeur vs. Elina Svitolina
• Anna Kalinskaya vs. Liudmila Samsonova
• Elena Rybakina vs. Caroline Wozniacki
• Barbora Krejcikova vs. Jessica Bouzas Maneiro
• Danielle Collins vs. Beatriz Haddad Maia
• Bernarda Pera vs. Jelena Ostapenko
• Iga Swiatek vs. Yulia Putintseva
• Dayana Yastremska vs. Donna Vekic