Emma Raducanu has made it through to the Wimbledon third round after a comprehensive victory over Marketa Vondrousova.
Raducanu has continued to impress at Wimbledon following her first round win, galvanising the Centre Court crowd as she defeated Vondrousova 6-3 6-3.
The 2022 US Open champion rarely looked troubled against Vondrousova, who won the Wimbledon Ladies Singles title in 2023.
Raducanu, who seems to shine when playing at Wimbledon, has joined the conversation with a number of British tennis greats following her second round victory.
Emma Raducanu holds the third-highest win percentage of any British woman in the Wimbledon Ladies Singles
Raducanu, who was praised by Mimi Xu after their Wimbledon first round match, has long been tipped as the next elite women’s player in British tennis. She is certainly showing that potential so far in London.
The 22-year-old burst onto the tennis scene in 2022 after becoming the first qualifier in history to win a Grand Slam title.
Following her victory over Vondrousova, she joined a high-profile list of British players at Wimbledon. She has now won nine of her 12 matches at Wimbledon, joining the likes of Virginia Wade and Johanna Konta at the pinnacle of British tennis.
As per OptaAce, only Ann Jones and Virginia Wade have a higher winning percentage in Women’s Singles at the Championships than Emma Raducanu in the Open Era.
Wade, who won Wimbledon in 1977 and is the only British woman in history to have won titles at all four majors, sits at 76.7 per cent, while Ann Jones tops the list with a 92.3 per cent win rate at the championships.
Raducanu has the opportunity to overtake Wade if she wins her third round match at Wimbledon. If she does, the Brit will move to a 76.9 per cent win rate. However, she will have to take down world number one Aryna Sabalenka if she is to do so.
Emma Raducanu and Aryna Sabalenka’s head-to-head record
Despite Raducanu’s excellent form, a whole other test awaits the British star in the third round of Wimbledon.
Raducanu, who recently pinpointed what tennis fans haven’t grasped at Wimbledon this year, lost to the Belarusian in their only previous meeting on the WTA Tour.
During the 2024 edition of Indian Wells, Raducanu was progressing well, beating Rebeka Masarova and Dayana Yastremska in the first two rounds.
However, the Brit fell short against Sabalenka, with the Belarusian triumphing 6-3 7-5. Despite this result, Raducanu has shown she has the tools to defeat Sabalenka, utilising her strong return of serve and groundstroke game.
Sabalenka found life difficult in her second round match, with Marie Bouzkova failing to convert an opportunity to serve for the first set. Raducanu will have to exploit these chinks in Sabalenka’s armour if she is to advance further at Wimbledon.
