- Emma Raducanu def. Belinda Bencic [11] 6-3, 6-4
- Faces Maria Sakkari [17]
NEW YORK, USA – Emma Raducanu became the first player in the Open era to reach the semi-final from qualification.
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Emma Raducanu def. Belinda Bencic [11] 6-3, 6-4
Olympic gold medallist Belinda Bencic became the next casualty of soon-to-be British No. 1 Emma Raducanu, as the Brit came from a break down in the first set to stun the Swiss in straight sets.
She overcame a fast start from Bencic to then reel off five games in a row to take the first set.
It was competitive start to the second set and just a single break was required from the Kent teenager to deliver another stunning win.
She said, after the match: “I’m so pleased to have come through that. Belinda is such a great opponent and she’s an Olympic gold medallist, which is probably one of the biggest events in sport.
“She’s a great player, and I knew it’s going to be an extremely difficult match. It took me some adjusting at the beginning to get used to her ball speed, yeah, how aggressive she was. Once I adjusted, I settled in. I didn’t overpress as much.
“I found a way to win, but it was very difficult to play against someone at such a high level.”
H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Emma Raducanu v Maria Sakkari [17] | H2H: First Meeting |
| US Open | New York, USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $675,000 |
| Second on Arthur Ashe Stadium, not before 8:30pm (Friday 1:30am BST) | Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for trial |
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2021 – Hard)
| H2H: | Emma Raducanu (WR 150) | Maria Sakkari (WR 18) |
| Tournament Previous Best | Debut | R4 (2020) |
| 1st Serve Return Points Won % | 44 | 41.1 |
| Return Points Won % | 49.2 | 46 |
| Break Point Conversion % | 41.9 | 44.2 |
| Break Points Saved % | 56.4 | 62.1 |
| Total Points Won % | 54.7 | 52.6 |
Once more, Raducanu’s stats are impressive when lined up to the many more matches that Maria Sakkari has played on hard courts this season. She will be tested when it comes to getting herself out of trouble in break-points and converting her chances.
Playing Styles & Prediction
It will have done Raducanu good to come through a match against a solid hitter like Bencic. Expect her to take some time to adjust to Sakkari’s tried and tested forehand and she has very much improved her game.
Both of them move well, and Raducanu will have to focus as Sakkari will construct her point from the baseline before she coaxes a short-ball error and darts in to end it.
For Raducanu, her return will have to be as on point as it has been during this tournament, and she needs to try and get the upper-hand in rallies. She has not dropped a set yet and has come back to overpower very solid players.
Prediction: Sakkari in three sets
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