Emma Raducanu has been given a big hint on how to get the better of Aryna Sabalenka on Friday afternoon. The British No.1 will need the performance of her life to get past the world No.1 but her superb showing against Marketa Vondrousova in round two has instilled hope in the home fans.
Raducanu is yet to drop a set at this year’s tournament. She swept aside Welsh teenager Mimi Xu in the first round and then outclassed Vondrousova 6-3 6-3 in the second, setting up a date with three-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka. On the morning of the match, BBC pundit Tracy Austin provided her take on how Raducanu can upset the odds.
And she believes that capitalising on one of Sabalenka’s quirks could be the key. She said: “I think she’s going to have to really decide to hit some slices down low to the Sabalenka forehand – she has a pretty extreme grip.”
Austin also wants to see Raducanu channel the strong points that carried her through against Vondrousova. “[She’ll have to] be pretty aggressive but, again, not overplay,” said the American.
“She has to return as well as she did [against Vondrousova] – that’s probably the one shot that stood out for me from Emma, and she’s going to have to continue to do that.”
Raducanu was all smiles and giggles after beating Vondrousova. And although the prospect of a clash with Sabalenka could have lowered her mood, she instead took the approach of shifting all the pressure onto her upcoming opponent.
“[Sabalenka] is number one in the world right now,” the 22-year-old pointed out. “She’s so dominant on the tour, she’s won literally everything so it’s going to be a really difficult match. All I can do is control my side of the court as best as possible. When you play an opponent like her, you know you have to play well. Yeah, I guess there is no pressure at all on me in the next round!”
Sabalenka has never been beyond the semi-finals at Wimbledon, making it her least successful of the four Grand Slams. And she didn’t cover herself in glory at her only grass-court warm-up tournament, losing to the player Raducanu conquered – Vondrousova – in straight sets in Berlin.
That said, Sabalenka has been in impressive form since arriving at the All England Club. She comfortably defeated Carson Branstine in the first round and Marie Bouzkova in the second without dropping a set in either match.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk