Emma Raducanu Beats Shelby Rogers at U.S. Open, Into Quarterfinals

Less than two months after Wimbledon, Raducanu is set to break well into the top 100, and is getting better by the round. Her win over Sorribes Tormo, who plays a grueling brand of tennis and who knocked top-ranked Ashleigh Barty out of the Tokyo Olympics, was poised, precise and patient. Though Raducanu prefers playing first-strike tennis, she held her own in long exchanges with Sorribes Tormo, who pushed the average rally length to over six shots. Her win over Rogers was dominant and economical.

Against Rogers, who had upset Barty in the third round, Raducanu thrived in shorter exchanges, with rallies averaging only 3.08 shots. Despite different opponents, the common denominator has been Raducanu’s dominance — the longest of her wins in the main draw took only an hour and 22 minutes.

“I’m extremely fresh; I haven’t really played on tour for the whole entire year,” Raducanu said Saturday. “This whole experience is just so new to me; I think that’s the enjoyment factor that I’m getting.”

“Honestly, I think with the amount of matches I have played and the experience that I have accumulated in the last four, five weeks, my game is just getting better with each match,” Raducanu said.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Raducanu trained at the Lawn Tennis Association’s National Tennis Center in London, working with Coach Mark Petchey after Philippe Dehaes was unable to come to England because of travel restrictions. Petchey picked up where Dehaes left off in reconstructing Raducanu’s forehand, changing her grip and adding more topspin to the shot. He also tested racket models with her, ultimately choosing a longer Wilson racket to give her shots more pop. While her game needed work, Petchey was impressed by her attitude and commitment, which he equated with that of another player he has worked with: Andy Murray.

“Her attitude toward training and practice was, without doubt, equally good as, say, Andy’s,” Petchey said. “I did not have one session with her in that period where it was anything less than everything she had.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/06/sports/tennis/us-open-emma-raducanu-shelby-rogers.html