"The most fun I’ve had on a tennis court" - Emma Raducanu 'proud' of dominant Wimbledon 3R win over Maria Sakkari

Emma Raducanu recently expressed her pride in her dominant victory over Maria Sakkari in the third round of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. This encounter was their second meeting since their semifinal match at the 2021 US Open, where Raducanu eventually won her maiden Grand Slam title.

Raducanu was granted a wildcard entry to the main draw at the Grasscourt Major. She was initially scheduled to face 22nd seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, but the Russian's withdrawal from the tournament due to an illness, led her to face lucky loser Renata Zarazua in the first round.

Raducanu defeated Zarazua 7-6(0), 6-3 in her opening match and then went onto defeat Elise Mertens 6-1, 6-2 in the second round to secure her spot in the third round.

Here, the Brit triumphed over ninth seed Maria Sakkari with a score of 6-2, 6-3 in just one hour and 32 minutes on the Centre Court. This was just her second victory against a top 10 player, the first being at the 2024 Eastbourne International against Jessica Pegula.

Following her dominant win over Sakkari, during her post match on court interview, Emma Raducanu stated that it was the most enjoyable match she had ever played. She said that she cherished the experience of competing on the Centre Court and expressed her gratitude for the support she received from the spectators

“Yeah I think today was really up there with the most fun I’ve had on a tennis court. I really enjoyed every single moment and I think I was just telling myself, ‘How many times in your life are you going to get the opportunity to play in front of a full Centre Court?’ So I’m really grateful for the support,” Raducanu said [0:24].

Raducanu attributed her win to her focus and determination and said that she knew she had to play and fight hard to defeat a top 10 player like Sakarri .

“At the moment I think I'm most proud of how I was so focused, so determined in every single point in every single moment. I knew playing Maria [Sakkari], she's a top 10 opponent, I mean in a way I came in with a free swing but she's so tough, she has amazing weapons and I knew I had to battle and fight hard,” she added [0:55].

The former World No.10 said that during the match she did not focus on the score line, instead her focused on her game and played every point as if it were her last.

“I tried to just not let the score line affect me, having break points, losing them and going up and then equal. You just have to play every point like it honestly it could be your last not to be dramatic,” Emma Raducau said [1:16].

Emma Raducanu will face Lulu Sun in the fourth round at Wimbledon 2024

Emma Raducanu

Emma Raducanu will go up against qualifier Lulu Sun in the fourth round of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships.

Sun earned her place in the main draw of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships by successfully navigating the qualifying rounds . In the main draw, she defeated eighth seed Qinwen Zheng in the first round and qualifier Yulia Starodubtseva in the second round, before triumphing over Lin Zhu to advance to the fourth round.

With her third round win, Lulu Sun became the first New Zealander to reach Wimbledon second week in Open Era.

The fourth round clash between Emma Raducanu and Lulu Sun will be their first meeting on the WTA Tour, with the winner facing either Paula Badosa or Donna Vekic in the quarterfinals.