Raducanu powers into fourth quarterfinal of the year in Washington

Emma Raducanu, continuing her recent fine form on grass courts, defeated Peyton Stearns Wednesday evening 7-6 (6), 6-2 at the Mubadala Citi DC Open. It’s her second consecutive quarterfinal berth in Washington, D.C.

The 21-year-old from Great Britain awaits the winner of Thursday’s meeting between No.3 Liudmila Samsonova and wild card Paula Badosa. The victor advances to Friday’s semifinals.

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Based on ranking -- Stearns is No.51 versus No.89 for Raducanu -- this one looks like an upset, but the truth is Raducanu has been the better player of late. Since winning the 2021 US Open, Raducanu has been troubled by a variety of physical ailments. There has also been a great deal of turnover in her coaching corps.

Raducanu shut down her 2023 season last April and underwent surgeries to both of her wrists and an ankle. She returned in January but, at least initially, it was slow going. But Raducanu came alive in the grass-court season, winning eight of 11 matches in Nottingham, Eastbourne and Wimbledon, where she reached the Round of 16.

“I made some pretty good strides in my game over the last few months,” Raducanu said before the tournament began. “I started the grass season ranked outside of 200 and finished it in the top 100. For me that was relatively successful. It guaranteed me a spot hopefully in the main draw of the U.S. Open. That was a big thing for me. I wanted to make sure I got into the Slams.

“Compared to a year ago, this time a year ago I hadn’t been touching tennis balls. Yeah, I didn’t touch a tennis ball until late November really. I’m very pleased to be in the place that I am, competing, healthy, just enjoying my tennis.”

For Stearns, it’s been an uneven professional career after winning the NCAA singles title in 2022 and leading the University of Texas to the team title. Last year she advanced to her first WTA Tour final in Bogota and reached the fourth round at the US Open. Her year-end ranking was No.53.

Currently, she’s at No.51, but a lot has happened this year. After losing in Madrid’s first round to Tatjana Maria, Stearns had lost 10 of 13 matches, her ranking had plummeted to No.87, and that prompted her to hire coach Tom Hill, who guided Maria Sakkari to the Top 10.

There were instant results, as Stearns won her first WTA Tour title in Rabat, Morocco and reached the third round at Roland Garros, beating Top 10 Daria Kasatkina along the way.

 “He was there pushing me every step of the way -- in a very positive way,” she said in Paris. “He’s helped me realize that my limits are a lot [less] than what I expect.

“Honestly, I think that’s why I’m doing so well right now.”

Raducanu had never beaten a Top 10 player, but this year in Eastbourne she defeated Jessica Pegula and, later at Wimbledon, Maria Sakkari. That confidence seems to have carried over to hard courts. Radacanu prevailed after a lengthy rain delay and a failed attempt to serve for the first set.

This was the first meeting between the two and it showed during the first few games as both struggled with numerous errors.

The fourth game of the match turned out to be a hold for Raducanu, but under the surface it was much more. She saved three break points and three double faults before stroking an unreturnable serve to secure the nine-minute game. That effort was rewarded in the next game, when Stearns double faulted to give Raducanu the first break of the match.

Serving for that first set at 5-4, Raducanu trailed 15-30 when rain suspended play. When the match resumed, Stearns broke through to level it at 5-all. It progressed to a tiebreaker, which Raducanu won when a Stearns forehand clipped the net and sailed out.

Radacanu raced out to a 3-0 lead in the second set, breaking Stearns in the second game. Raducanu broke her again in the eighth game to take the match. Key statistic: Raducanu saved five of six break points.

“I feel good physically,” Raducanu said. “I have no problems really. No niggles. I’m just very happy and excited to be in Washington.

Like several other prominent players, Raducanu elected to play in Washington, D.C., as opposed to the Olympics in Paris.

“I would say for me, staying on one surface is important,” she said before the tournament. “The change of surface isn't the best thing for me right now. In the future, maybe it would have been. At this moment in time, I think switching to clay straight after grass, it's such a big contrast, then back onto the hard courts,

“I didn’t want to risk anything. I think when I think big picture, long-term, it’s the right call.”