MIAMI — Emma Raducanu is showing promising form at the Miami Open.
Following her impressive victory over No. 8 seed Emma Navarro, Raducanu has reached the Round of 16 at the Miami Open. Her match against McCartney Kessler concluded with a 6-1, 3-0 (retired) score on Sunday evening. Kessler was forced to stop playing after 43 minutes due to a lower back injury.
This marks the first time since Wimbledon last summer that the British player has won three consecutive matches in a major WTA Tour or Grand Slam tournament.
`I am very pleased to reach this stage,` Raducanu stated after her recent win. `It`s not ideal to win in this manner, but I believe I maintained good focus throughout the match.`
Raducanu mentioned that her recent three-set victory against Navarro felt more emotionally significant than her 2021 US Open victory.
She explained that a series of injuries over the past three and a half years have prevented her from consistently playing at the level that led her to win ten consecutive matches at the US Open without dropping a set.
`The past few years have been incredibly challenging for me,` Raducanu admitted. `I don`t think I`m completely out of the woods yet, and I am still working things out.`
`I am happy this week that I have been able to put aside off-court issues, step onto the court with a clear mind, and compete for every point.`
This focused approach contributed to her dominant performance against Kessler, an emerging American player who won a title in Hobart earlier this year. Raducanu broke Kessler`s serve in all four attempts and secured 29 out of 43 points in the first set. In total for the match, she won 41 of 58 points.
`It’s always difficult when you sense your opponent may have an issue,` Raducanu commented. `You must try to remain focused and not relax, because it`s challenging to control your own game in those situations. I think I managed that well.`
`I had a very good practice session earlier today, and I’m happy it translated to my performance on the court.`
Raducanu will next compete against the winner of the match between No. 11 seed Mirra Andreeva and No. 17 Amanda Anisimova in the Round of 16 on Monday. Both Andreeva and Anisimova have won WTA 1000 events in the past three tournaments. A victory for Raducanu in the next round would be her best result in a WTA 1000 tournament, having reached this stage four times previously.
`They are both high-level players and both have won WTA 1000 titles this season,` Raducanu said. `Both are in excellent form. It will be a very tough match for me.`
