By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Wednesday, June 26, 2024
Emma Raducanu saved match point at 5-6 in the tiebreaker edging Jessica Pegula 4-6, 7-6(6), 7-5 for her first career Top 10 win in Eastbourne.
Photo credit: Charlie Crowhurst/Getty for LTA
The Eastbourne lawn was a launching pad.
Emma Raducanu leaped to a professional peak.
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Raducanu saved match point in the second-set tiebreaker fighting off fifth-ranked Jessica Pegula 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-5 to score the first Top 10 win of her career and advance to the Eastbourne quarterfinals.
In a match of wild momentum shifts, spiking nerves and moments of facing failure—the wild card failed to serve it out at 5-2 and 5-4 and fought off four break points in the final game—Raducanu relied on her court coverage, versatility and some timely strikes to close in two hours, 44 minutes.
It wasn’t always pretty—Raducanu hit nine double faults, faced 14 break points and sometimes short-armed her forehand under stress—but it is a big step forward for the world No. 168 coming days before she's likely to have much of the nation supporting her at Wimbledon.
"I'm pretty drained right now, but I just want to say thanks to everyone again for getting me through some really difficult moments in that match," Raducanu said afterward. "It's incredibly difficult when you're playing someone who is so in form like Jessica.
"I mean she came off the back of a great run in Berlin. 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 I didn't think, to be honest, I'd be able to get myself out of it. So I would say this match is one of the more meaningful ones to me. I've been going through some stuff, to come through is really nice."
Berlin champion Pegula, who saved five championship points fending off Anna Kalinskaya on Sunday, carried a 5-1 grass-court record into this match and called the shots building a 6-4, 3-1 lead.
Credit Raducanu for continuing to scrap, frequently forced Pegula to play an extra shot and for digging down deep to deny match point at 5-6 in the tiebreaker.
The 2021 US Open champion to 11-8 on the season.
In her Eastbourne debut, Raducanu could face sixth-seeded Daria Kasatkina for a semifinal spot.
Home fans had plenty to cheer about today as Great Britain boasts three of the eight quarterfinals at Devonshire Park.
Wild card Harriet Dart defeated 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-0. Dart will play 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez for a final four spot.
Nottingham champion Katie Boulter beat 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 7-5 to reach her fourth quarterfinal of the season.
Boulter, who boasts a Tour-best 7-1 grass-court record this season, scored her first Top 20 win since defeating Beatriz Haddad Maia in Miami last March. Next up for Boulter is a quarterfinal clash vs. French Open finalist Jasmine Paolini
Playing with clarity at the start, Pegula pounded a backhand winner down the line for the opening break. The Berlin champion cracked an ace out wide to confirm the break at love for 2-0.
The Pegula return game is a weapon on all surfaces—it’s particularly potent on grass where her brief backswings and impeccable timing enable her to adjust to unruly bounces. Pegula torched returns scoring the love break for 4-1.
A running Raducanu forehand crosscourt helped her open the court, the Briton read the Pegula pass and bumped a volley winner earning her first break in the sixth game.
Striking shots with more vigor and pace, Raducanu drew the netted error scoring her second straight break to even after eight games.
The 2021 US Open champion had the momentum, but gave it right back. Raducanu hit back-to-back double faults and missed a backhand ceding the break and a 5-4 lead.
On her second set point, Pegula put a serve into the hip drawing the error to take the set.
Though Pegula built a one-set, 3-1 lead, she couldn’t close it.
Pegula was serving at 4-5 when Raducanu rapped a series of sharp returns for a set point. The Briton tightened up slapping a shot into net. That reprieve sparked Pegula to hold and level the second set, 5-all.
In the tiebreaker, Raducanu ran down Pegula’s shots drawing a backhand into net for 4-3. When Pegula missed an inside-out forehand, Raducanu edged ahead 5-3.
Deadlocked at 5-all, Pegula fended off a heavy return and held her ground. Raducanu lined up her two-hander and went for the down the line drive but barely missed it long as Pegula gained match point at 6-5.
Showing sheer guts, Raducanu rocked a forehand winner down the line leveling 6-6.
That strike sparked Raducanu through the tiebreaker taking three points in a row to level the match.
After a bathroom break, the Briton returned to confront a break point. Raducanu responded with a forehand winner and ace down the T holding for 1-1.
Applying triple break point pressure in the third game, Raducanu fought off a deep forehand then caught a break to break for 2-1 when Pegula stuffed a short ball into net.
The WTA Finals runner-up was playing flat drives, but Raducanu was repelling everything and striking accurately on the run. Raducanu rolled a running backhand down the line to back up the break for 3-1.
Embed from Getty ImagesCourt coverage and running strikes helped Raducanu build the lead.
Creative versatility helped the Briton close it.
Looping a rainbow lob winner, Raducanu followed with a flat backhand blast down the line holding for 4-2.
Pushing Pegula back, Raducanu pulled the string on a mischievous backhand drop shot winner to break again for 5-2.
Serving for the biggest win, by ranking, of her career, Raducanu showed jitters. Across the net, Pegula was all business showing no trace of tightness.
The world No. 5 broke back at 15 for 3-5.
Swinging more freely, Pegula pounded down an ace holding for 4-5 and shifting the pressure right back on the Briton’s shoulders.
In her second shot to serve it out, Raducanu was fooled by a Pegula drop shot and crashed to the lawn behind the baseline while trying to change direction. That tumble put Raducanu down love-30, then she spit up her eighth double fault to drop to triple break point. Pegula rattled out the error breaking back to level after 10 games.
In a backhand slice duel, Raducanu suddenly threw in the drop shot to lure her opponent in then banged a backhand pass for double break point. Attacking net, Raducanu bent low to block a volley winner, then pointed an index finger to her temple in a sign of mental strength breaking back for 6-5.
Staring down triple break point again, Raducanu stepped up and saved three break points in a row, including slinking a nervy second serve over net on the second break point. After all that good work, Raducanu double faulted to face a fourth break point. Sliding a serve down the middle, Raducanu erased break point number four.
Amping up the pace of her forehand and force of her grunt, Raducanu hammered a crosscourt forehand drawing the error then flipping her Wilson racquet aside in joy.
In an ESPN zoom call conducted yesterday, Tennis Now asked ESPN analysts Chrissie Evert and Patrick McEnroe to assess the chances of Wimbledon wild cards Raducanu, Naomi Osaka, Caroline Wozniacki, Angelique Kerber as well as former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu at The Championships.
While Patrick McEnroe does not foresee success for any of those former Slam champions at SW19, Evert said she believes in Raducanu's game and likes her current form heading into Wimbledon.
"She's had so much adversity, so many ups and downs, so many injuries. It's like she will ever get that form back that she had at the US Open," Evert told Tennis Now. "Watching her the last couple tournaments, I never thought she was a flash in the pan. Now, this is not going to say she's ever going to win another major. Maybe she will, maybe she won't.
"Emma has such excellent, like, foundation and fundamentals, that very little can go wrong in her game because she is so solid. I think the injuries, the pressure of winning the US Open, has really kept her from improving even more so. She's more mature right now. She's overcome adversity and gotten stronger. She seems to be happy and enjoying her tennis. I for one am looking forward to watching her at Wimbledon."