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. “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 with how I managed to navigate some really tough situations, and to be honest, I didn’t think I’d be able to get myself out of it.
” Fourth seed Keys saved two set points against Ukrainian qualifier Anhelina Kalinina with clean winners serving at 5-6 in the first set before dominating the second set against the Ukrainian qualifier to win 7-6 (7/5), 6-1. The American will next face 2023.
