With her second-round victory at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Emma Raducanu won back-to-back matches for the first time this season and secured a jump to a new career-high WTA ranking of No.11.
After dropping just three games in the first round against qualifier Storm Sanders, the eighth-seeded Raducanu dug deep to dispatch German world No.118 Tamara Korpatsch 6-0 2-6 6-1 and set up a quarterfinal meeting with world No.1 Iga Swiatek.
The 19-year-old Raducanu is playing her first professional tournament on clay at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. Prior to this week, Raducanu’s only matches as a professional on clay came during last weekend’s Billie Jean King Cup tie against the Czech Republic in Prague when she defeated Tereza Martincova and lost to Marketa Vondrousova.
Raducanu has now won consecutive Tour-level matches for only the second time since her US Open triumph last September. Her next obstacle will be a major one, as the 2020 French Open champion Swiatek is a master of clay who is currently on a 20-match winning streak which includes three consecutive WTA 1000 titles (Doha, Indian Wells and Miami). The quarterfinal meeting in Stuttgart will be the first match between these two young Grand Slam champions.
Good thing for Raducanu is that she isn’t pressured by expectations this time:
Iga is in great form and it will be an interesting match. I feel like I have no pressure going out there on clay and playing against her. There are no expectations on me in the match-up but I’m looking forward to seeing what happens.
Currently ranked at career-high No.12, Raducanu has ensured a rise to No.11 and if she lifts the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix title she will move into the Top 10. This time last year the Briton was ranked No.366.
