Emma Raducanu had only played eight grand slam matches before facing Shelby Rogers in the last 16 of the US Open. A few weeks ago, she says, she wasn’t playing at the extraordinary level she has found in New York. But since arriving in America, where she reached the final of a Challenger event in Chicago and then came through three rounds of qualifying to make the main draw of the US Open, the 18-year-old says she has been learning with each match she plays.
Evidently Raducanu catches on fast. Making light of her inexperience, the Briton utterly dismantled Rogers, an opponent ranked 107 places above her who was playing in front of her home crowd. Rogers is a player of genuine pedigree, a former French and US Open quarter-finalist who, in the previous round, had caused the biggest upset of the tournament so far by beating world No 1 Ashleigh Barty. Against Raducanu, it was she who was made to look like the newcomer.
It took the British teenager a couple of games to adjust to her surroundings, as well it might in the cavernous surroundings of the Arthur Ashe Stadium. Having emerged on to court, she sat in her chair gazing up at the steeply banked seating, taking in the enormity of the world’s largest purpose-built tennis arena. Once she hit her stride, however, she accelerated through the gears in a manner befitting her passion for Formula One, racing to a 6-2, 6-1 victory in an hour and six minutes.
“I definitely wanted to take it all in,” said Raducanu. “I went out there to practice on Ashe this morning, but there was no one in the crowd. So it did feel different going out there with a crowd, all of the lights, displays on the board. It did take some adjusting, I felt.”
Brief though that period of adjustment was, it could easily have been more painful. A double fault in her opening service game – only her seventh of the tournament – landed Raducanu in immediate trouble on serve, and although she saved three break points with some courageous hitting, she finally buckled on the fourth, driving a forehand wide.
A chance to level came and went in the second game as Rogers held for 2-0, and when the American then hit a return that danced off the net tape and died, it looked momentarily as though fate might be conspiring against the teenager. Another double fault soon followed, and at 15-40 Raducanu was in danger of going down a double break. Two big serves steadied the ship, however, and having levelled at 2-2 she just kept going, reeling off 11 straight games to fashion an unassailable lead.
“That was pretty embarrassing,” said Rogers. “It was a tough day at the office. Unfortunately, I had to fail in front of thousands and thousands of people. So I have to live with that one. It’s a little – a lot, obviously – disappointing that I couldn’t muster up a little bit more today. But, you know, I told you guys the other night it took everything I had to beat Barty. I guess that was a little apparent today. The tank was a little bit empty.”
Rogers, it should be said, did not help herself. Against Barty, the American had reined in her natural inclination to hit through the opposition, varying her approach with moonballs and slices. Against Raducanu, she reverted to type, leathering the ball off both wings and in the process making 29 unforced errors. Her difficulties were compounded by the quality of Raducanu’s shot-making and movement. Once the Briton had found her rhythm, merely trading groundstrokes was no longer an option; Rogers had to keep pressing, which inevitably led to more mistakes.
Raducanu, who becomes only the third qualifier to reach the last eight in the open era, has yet to drop a set. She will face Belinda Bencic in the last eight after the Olympic champion, seeded 11th, survived an epic first set against Iga Swiatek, saving four set points to claim a 7-6 (14-12), 6-3 win.
“I know Belinda,” said Raducanu. “She has a lot of experience on the tour. She’s in great form, having won Olympic gold. I’m also feeling good about my game, also confident with the amount of matches I’ve played. I feel like I’m building with each one. It will be an extremely difficult match. I know if I’m going to have a chance, I’m going to have to play some really good tennis.”
So far, that has not been a problem.