Emma Raducanu triumphed over a two-hour rain delay to secure her spot in the quarter-finals of the Washington Open, defeating American Peyton Stearns.
Raducanu, who opted not to represent Great Britain at the Olympics, emerged victorious against Stearns, currently ranked 51st in the world, with a score of 7-6 (8-6) 6-2.
As Raducanu served to take the first set, heavy rain began to fall. After a brief interruption, she closed out the set in a tie-break.
“It’s challenging today when you experience a rain delay at such a crucial moment like that. It can influence the flow of the match,” Raducanu remarked.
She is set to compete against the winner of the match between wildcard Paula Badosa and third seed Liudmila Samsonova.
Raducanu expressed her gratitude to the audience for their understanding during the late-night encounter on Wednesday.
“I anticipated a challenging match against Peyton, particularly since she was playing at home,” she said. “I feel like I’ve had a good few months, and I’m starting to gain some momentum.”
Currently ranked number 89 in the world and continuing her recovery following wrist and ankle surgery, Raducanu declined the opportunity to compete in the Olympics as she wanted to avoid transitioning back to clay courts for Roland Garros. Instead, she is focusing on hard courts in preparation for the upcoming US Open—the tournament she claimed in 2021 as a qualifier.
