Emma Raducanu registered her first victory over a top-10 player in dramatic fashion at the Eastbourne International on Wednesday, saving a match point on the way to upsetting second seed Jessica Pegula as defending champion Madison Keys cruised into the quarter-finals. Former US Open champion Raducanu edged a tight tie-break to level against her American opponent and held her nerve to win 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 7-5 after a major wobble in the decider. Raducanu said earlier this week that she was back in love with tennis having struggled with injuries and form since being thrust into the spotlight by her shock win at Flushing Meadows in 2021.
The 21-year-old, who missed the entire grass-court season last year following surgery, opted not to play in qualifying for the French Open or at the Paris Olympics but has a wild card for Wimbledon, which starts next week. Raducanu, who saved a match point in the second-set tie-break, appeared to be cantering towards victory when she led 5-2 in the third set but Pegula, who won the Berlin grass-court tournament last week, broke twice to level. The former British number one, now ranked 168th in the world, carved out a break of her own to edge ahead again and survived a clutch of break points to seal the win.
“It’s incredibly difficult when you’re playing someone who’s so in-form like Jessica,” said Raducanu. “She came off the back of a great run in Berlin, and no doubt she’s feeling confident on the grass, but I’m really pleased w.
