Emma Raducanu brilliantly progressed to Wimbledon’s third round on Wednesday, showcasing her talent with an impressive 6-1, 6-2 triumph over Belgium’s Elise Mertens. Raducanu has battled fitness issues since her sensational US Open win in 2021 but exhibited top form, overpowering Mertens from the back of the court, displaying her fervour with every point won. The British wildcard swiftly established a 5-0 lead against the 28-year-old on Court One, rallied on by an enthusiastic domestic audience. Mertens managed to score, but it was a meagre consolation as Raducanu secured the first set. The Brit further dominated in the second set, breaking Mertens twice to lead 4-1 after demonstrating a stellar backhand. Even though Mertens held her ground in the next game, Raducanu moved closer to victory with an ace, before her opponent conceded a point. This marks Raducanu’s first Grand Slam third round since her Flushing Meadows victory, hinting at a potential first British women’s singles victory at Wimbledon since Virginia Wade’s conquest in 1977. Expressing her satisfaction with her performance and progress, Raducanu affirmed that all the hard work she has put in this year is starting to pay off. On the other hand, men’s reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz and fifth seed Daniil Medvedev also advanced to the third round but eighth seed Casper Ruud was defeated on the rather dreary Wednesday. Alcaraz nearly conceded the opening set to Australia’s Aleksandar Vukic, but successfully notched a 7-6(5), 6-2, 6-2 victory and claimed his championship-winning form was returning.
Alcaraz is increasingly optimistic about his performance, as he sees improvement with each game, and hopes to hit the same stride as during last year’s final, where he bested Novak Djokovic in a 5-set match to claim the championship. His sense of physical wellbeing and the level of his tennis gameplay has him hopeful about his future path.
On the Centre Court, however, Medvedev seemed to be struggling at the outset. He had to rally against 102nd ranked Alexandre Muller, eventually emerging the victor with a 6-7(3) 7-6(4) 6-4 7-5 score.
Meanwhile, on Court One – with the roof overhead – second seed Coco Gauff wasn’t at her ideal condition either. Despite her less than optimal performance, she managed to overcome the challenges and beat Romanian qualifier Anca Todoni with a score of 6-2 6-1. Gauff admitted her need to deliver a cleaner win in comparison to the mere six games she lost across the two matches played. The American player, who will be facing British player Sonay Kartal, also considered herself rather harsh on self-evaluation. She acknowledged the inevitability of missed shots in the game of tennis and aimed to clinch victories within straight sets for a more solid win.
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