EMMA RADUCANU FINDS POSITIVE SPIN AFTER SHE IS BLOWN AWAY AT EASTBOURNE
An upbeat Emma Raducanu told reporters that “you have to just spin everything to be a positive” as she made a wind-assisted exit from the Eastbourne quarter-finals.
After balmy conditions on the south coast in the early part of this week, the wind suddenly approached gale force on Thursday. And these conditions were hardly ideal for playing against a resourceful defender like Daria Kasatkina.
Towards the end of her 6-2, 6-2 defeat, Raducanu was so baffled by some of the odd bounces and bendy trajectories that she could not help laughing at her own incapacity to time the ball. Even afterwards, she remained disarmingly cheery.
“Losing today means I get a day off tomorrow and then get to train at Wimbledon,” she said. “For me, that’s how I’m going to spin it right now.
“I think I put some good level out again [in Eastbourne],” she added. “Just to be able to back up a week like Nottingham, I’m very happy.
“I think the biggest win for me is I was able to play three matches back to back. Today physically I actually felt fine. It [the defeat] wasn’t to do with being in pain [even though] yesterday the match was close to three hours. Plus the warm-up before, I played almost four hours on court, and this morning I pulled up completely fine. I mean, I was surprised about it. That’s a big positive.”
Raducanu can go to Wimbledon in decent spirits after claiming her first-ever top-ten scalp on Wednesday: a 4-6, 7-6, 7-5 victory over Jessica Pegula, the second seed and world No 5.
Yet these sorts of tournaments don’t get any easier as you progress. Kasatkina is also high up the world rankings at No 14, and her varied repertoire of shots was perfectly adapted to Thursday’s weird and not-so-wonderful conditions.
As it happens, each of the three British women in the Eastbourne quarter-finals came up against skilful and diminutive manipulators of a tennis ball. First Leylah Fernandez took out Harriet Dart, then Jasmine Paolini defeated Katie Boulter, and finally it was Raducanu’s turn.
As the BBC’s analyst Naomi Broady pointed out afterwards, the home hopes would probably have preferred to be facing big-hitters on an awkward day like this. Instead, the dice fell unfavourably and all three women lost in straight sets. For Dart, the picture was complicated by the large plaster she was forced to wear on her knee after she had slipped and fallen in Wednesday’s second-round match.
Returning to Raducanu, she acknowledged after the match that she was overly stubborn in sticking to her regular game-plan in the face of unusual circumstances.
“My plan was to play my identity of tennis, which is aggressive, which is taking the ball early,” said Raducanu. “Yesterday [against Pegula] it was a much better level of tennis because conditions suited it better. It was just more clean ball-striking.
“Today it was the complete opposite. It was more about the scrappy little shots that are dying. The slower you actually hit the ball today, the more difficult it was to deal with, because it would just hold in the air and move and cut with all the spin.
“If [only] I had the confidence to just, like, chip some back, scrape some back, throw some up high, be a little bit more patient in the rallies, not try and hit the ball very close to the line, because the wind would take it out.
“I thought I was very stubborn in the wrong way out there. Stubborn is one of my character traits. Sometimes it works for me, but sometimes it works against me. So I think that’s just part of me maturing as a tennis player too.”
Boulter’s story was similar, except that there would have been little point in her trying to mix up her game, as she really needs to play first-strike tennis. She has more weapons than Raducanu, but fewer defensive attributes – and it helps to be able to defend well when you play in the wind.
“It was very, very tricky today,” said Boulter after her 6-1, 7-6 loss to the recent French Open finalist Jasmie Paolini. “I don’t think it was about how you hit your forehand or how you hit your backhand. It was a bit of a mental game and trying to stay calm in the wind.”
The one British winner of the day at Eastbourne came in the men’s event. Billy Harris started this grass-court season outside the world’s top 200, but a sequence of 11 wins in 14 matches has carried him up almost 90 places already, with power to add if he can overcome Australia’s Max Purcell in Friday’s semi-final.
“We used to play a lot in the wind,” said Harries after his 6-7, 7-6, 6-2 comeback win over Flavio Cobolli. “It’s obviously frustrating for everyone but coming from the Isle of Man definitely helped me today.”
And there was more good news from Majorca, where Paul Jubb reached his first ATP semi-final by overcoming the touted American prospect Ben Shelton in three sets.
“I just kept getting better and better throughout the match,” said Jubb, who has also climbed nearly 100 places this week to the verge of the top 200. “I’m super, super happy. Last year was so tough, injured most of the year. This is one of those visions I’ve had in my mind, being on this stage, and now I’m here and I’ve done it.”
Emma Raducanu vs Daria Kasatkina: as it happened
05:28 PM BST
All three British women exit in straight sets
Emma Raducanu has been knocked out of the Rothesay International at Eastbourne is straight sets by Russia’s Daria Kasatkina, crowing a disappointing day for Britain’s women after Jasmine Paolini defeated Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart went out at the hands of Leylah Fernandez. The three Britons won only 14 games between them over three matches as each struggled to come to terms with blustery winds.
Raducanu, whose serve was broken four times in the second set, found her opponents’ ‘slow-ball’ style hard to counter and she made a string of unforced errors as she tried to put pace on her strokes, flustered by Kasatkina’s defensive play.
There was some suggestion, too, from the commentators that Raducanu’s victories over Sloane Stephens and her impressive comeback to beat Jessica Pegula on Wednesday had sapped some of the spring from her legs as a result of her long lay-offs over the past 18 months.
Although it was largely a day to forget for the former US Open champion, her performances leading up to defeat and her durability in Nottingham a fortnight ago means she can go to Wimbledon on Monday for the first time in two years with some hope and another supportive crowd at her back.
05:08 PM BST
Raducanu 2-6, 2-6 Kasatkina
Raducanu smiles when defeated by the slow-ball and low-balling of Kasatkina’s slice.
Kasatkina comes to the net to move to match point at 40-30, judging the conditions far better than Raducanu.
The Russian fires a serve up the centre mark and Raducanu cannot get it back over.
And that’s that. Game, set and match Kasatkian 6-2, 6-2.
05:05 PM BST
Raducanu 2-6, 2-5 Kasatkina* (*Next server)
One senses that all her chances rest on holding her serve here but she gets off to a poor start, misjudging the toss and she makes two errors to go alongside a fine forehand Kasatkina winner to trail 15-40 and she has to try to defend break point on her second serve.
She can’t. Kasatkina drives a forehand winner from middle to the right to break yet again.
The Russian serves for the match. Raducanu can’t find any rhythm. She has been thoroughly discombulated by the wind and Kasatkina’s horrible, disruption strategy.
05:02 PM BST
Raducanu* 2-6, 2-4 Kasatkina (*Next server)
There’s life in this yet, though, as Raducanu comes out swinging against Kasatkina’s diet of defensive chips and ‘junk balls’. Kasatkina’s serve hasn’t been as good as her returning and Raducanu piles the pressure on to break to 15.
04:56 PM BST
Raducanu 2-6, 1-4 Kasatkina* (*Next server)
Third break in succession for Kasatkina as Raducanu’s serve crumbles in the blustery wind.
04:55 PM BST
Raducanu* 2-6, 1-3 Kasatkina (*Next server)
Sam Smith and Giles are reframing this as a very positive learning experience for Raducanu, playing against such a defensive style from someone so much taller than her.
Raducanu pounces on a shonky second serve from Kasatkina after a double fault to whip a forehand winner and move to 15-30.
Raducanu passes her opponent at the net after the Russian taps a volley rather than stroking it to move to break point which Kasatkina defends with a spinning forehand crosscourt.
Raducanu’s fire versus Kasatkina’s extinguisher game is fascinating to watch as they swing from advantage apiece back to deuce.
Backhand error from Raducanu is retrieved to take it back to deuce with a scything forehand winner but Kasatkina moves ahead with a kicking serve into the corner and the Russian scrambles to a hold.
04:44 PM BST
Raducanu 2-6, 1-2 Kasatkina* (Next server)
Is the tide turning. A couple of winners for Raducanu which even she expected to drift wide followed by Kasatkina’s wild backhand return takes Raducanu to 40-love.
Possibly not … Kasatkina wins the next point when she waits for the deep overhead to kick up off the baseline and flays a drive volley winner.
A double fault comes at the most inopportune moment to make it 40-30 and then she frames a forehand. This is ‘slow-balling’ from Kasatkina as Annabel Giles calls it. And the Russian moves from 40-30 down to advantage when she uses her height disadvantage and spin to bamboozle Raducanu again.
And Kasatkina breaks back after the break-back when, to silence, Raducanu pans a forehand from centre out to the right into the tramlines.
04:38 PM BST
Raducanu* 2-6, 1-1 Kasatkina (Next server)
Is this a chink as Kasatkina cedes two break points with a double fault. Raducanu cannot take the first opportunity as her backhand return tails wide.
But she does take the second to break back with a low backhand winner up the line while crouching.
04:34 PM BST
Raducanu 2-6, 0-1 Kasatkina* (Next server)
Good backhand winner from Kasatkina takes it to 15-all but then exceeds her range with a forehand that she hooks out. Raducanu seizes the initiative with an ace down the T but then pulls her forehand off the Russian’s blocked return into the net.
Kasatkina’s defensive play is horrible to face. She gives her opponent nothing to harness, they have to impart all the power themselves which is exhausting. And when they make a mistake, she pounces, this time with a forehand winner.
Raducanu misjudges the wind at deuce and then chips a drop shot into the net.
Break of serve.
04:28 PM BST
Raducanu* 2-6 Kasatkina (Next server)
Errors have not been eradUcated from Emma’s game by being at the end where she’s hitting into the wind and, although the BBC commentators think Kasatkina is a little rattled, the Russian holds to 30 with a couple of big forehands and an Aztec Camera Deep & Wide & Tall serve.
04:23 PM BST
Raducanu 2-5 Kasatkina* (Next server)
Kastakina monsters Raducanu’s serve to move love-40 up until Raducanu wakens a stunned crowd with a crosscourt forehand drive.
Radders uses the same stroke but with a lower trajectory to win a successive point and take it to 30-40 and then forces an error from Kasatkina who is too early on a drive up the line which veers out.
Deuce. Having defended three set points, Raducanau gives her another when foxed by a spinning, chipped return, all pace off.
Raducanu defends another by hanging deep in the rally and waiting for the error and swings it to her advantage when Kasatkina chips a low backhand long.
On we go as Raducanu hooks a forehand wide, then regains advantage with a wickedly swerving one-handed backhand drop shot.
And something to build one when she holds on her second serve, Kasatkina pumping the return into the net.
04:15 PM BST
Raducanu* 1-5 Kasatkina (Next server)
Raducanu plays a delicate one-handed backhand drop shot off Kasatkina’s big, sliced forehand to tie it up at 15-all before Kasatkina foreces Raducanu very wide with her second serve and then lamps a forehand winner down the other line.
Raducanu nets her return and is then beaten when the Russian wrongfoots her with a forehand from the centre out to the deuce court when the Briton was heading the other way.
It’s been a shoeing so far for Raducanu. Quite chastening.
04:12 PM BST
Raducanu 1-4 Kasatkina* (Next server)
Wild backhand from Raducanu hits the net post as she falls to 15-30. The wind is making her skirt billow like a sail but she plants her feet perfectly after that earlier aberration to whistle a lovely backhand crosscourt winner to wrong-foot her opponent.
Raducanu moves to 40-30 with a big first serve followed by a winner but she loses the next point because Kasatkina varies the spin, trajectory and pace with each stroke. Deuce.
Kasatkina comes to the net to move to advantage with an extraordinary volley with the ball seemingly behind her, racquet vertical..
And the Russian breaks again, Raducanu unable to keep her forehand off the return of her second serve in play.
04:04 PM BST
Raducanu* 1-3 Kasatkina (Next server)
Kasatkina is not having any problems with the wind at her back and holds to love, giving Raducanu difficulty with her heavily spun forehands.
04:00 PM BST
Raducanu 1-2 Kasatkina* (Next server)
Lovely shot from Raducanu to take the first point when she pounces on Kasatkina’s drive volley that lacks power to flay a backhand crosscourt winner. But then she nets a backhand drive. First serve keeps drifting long on the wind and a double fault as she overcompensates makes it 30-all.
Kasatkina keeps hitting the ball up the middle, waiting for mistakes, rather than allowing Raducanu to use her power from the wings and the Briton duly nets a backhand before drawing Kasatkina to do the same.
At deuce, with the wind behind her, Raducanu’s backhand drive sails too long. But she defends the break point by forcing Kasatkina into the far border of her ad court by running around and slicing a withering forehand to set up a smashed winner.
Kasatkina takes advantage again with a well-judged backhand that clips the line and Raducanu is broken when she forces a forehand too long.
03:53 PM BST
Raducanu* 1-1 Kasatkina (Next server)
Raducanu, who is wearing a long-sleeved top in the crosswind, drags a backhand crosscourt wide via a net cord, and fires two forehands wide to give Daria a 40-love lead. Raducanu’s forehand at 40-15 also catches the wind. She’s at the end closes to the main camera and it seems to be very difficult to judge the breeze from that end.
03:49 PM BST
Raducanu 1-0 Kasatkina* (Next server)
Kastakina wins the toss and elects to receive. Both women go to the net for the first point and Raducanu is the winner of a lengthy rally when Kasatkina’s drop shot drifts too long.
Raducanu also wins the next two points with blistering forehands off the returns then fires an ace down the T to hold to love. Dream start.
03:41 PM BST
Huge roar for Raducanu as she walks out
The two other Brits in the quarter-finals, Boulter and Harriet Dart, have been knocked out. Leylah Fernandez beat Dart 6-2, 6-1 in 67 minutes.
03:30 PM BST
Game, set and match Jasmine Paolini
She wins 6-1, 7-6(0). And goes through to tomorrow’s semi-final to play the winner of Raducan vs Kasatkina.
That means the second quarter-final should start in about 15 minutes.
03:28 PM BST
Into the tiebreak
And Paolini is storming head to 5-0 up and about to serve.
03:22 PM BST
Boulter saves break point
To move 6-5 ahead in the second set. Paolini keeps taking her to the brink in this set but she has stood up so far since dropping her serve.
03:07 PM BST
Boulter breaks back
To tie up the second set 4-4. The wind is making the ball toss hard to predict.
03:02 PM BST
Paolini has broken Boulter in the second set
And leads 4-2 as Boulter serves into the wind.
02:42 PM BST
Better start to the second set for Boulter
The first three games of the second set have gone with serve and Boulter currently leads 2-1.
02:34 PM BST
Paolini closes out the hold to take the first set
She wins it 6-1. The French Open finalist is ranked No7 in the world after all … Boulter is 25 places lower.
02:28 PM BST
Boulter’s woes in the wind continues
She has been broken for the second time and Paolini is 5-1 up and serving for the first set.
02:20 PM BST
Boulter v Paolini update
It was going with serve as I started to write even though Boulter has yet to find her first-serve consistency. There’s a heavy crosswind that is playing havoc with her ball toss. And it mashes Boulter’s composure, double faulting twice to be broken and Paolini leads 3-1.
01:45 PM BST
Jumping the gun?
On Centre Court Britain’s Billy Harris has just completed his victory over Flavio Cobolli 7-6, 6-7, 6-2 and we were expecting Raducanu vs Kasatkina to follow. But first up is Katie Boulter vs Jasmine Paolini, on which I’ll try to keep you updated among other duties. If that starts around 2pm, our match could be start at any point between 3.15pm and 4.15pm.
11:58 AM BST
Preview: Tests keep coming for Raducanu
Good afternoon and welcome to live coverage of Emma Raducanu’s quarter-final against Daria Kasatkina from the Rothesay International at Eastbourne. Raducanu dug deep yesterday to fend off match point during her comeback to beat the No 2 seed and world No 5 Jessica Pegula 4-6, 7-6, 7-5, certainly her most impressive and arguably her most important victory for 30 months. Kasatkina was also taken to three sets by Yuan Yue but the last of them was a cakewalk, or breadwalk as she ultimately bagelled her opponent 3-6, 6-4, 6-0.
Kasatkina is currently No 14 in the WTA rankings, having made it to the finals of the Adelaide International and Abu Dhabi Open this season as she climbs back up after her breakthrough year in 2022. Although her baseline style is perfect for clay, she has a decent record on grass, with a runner-up spot at Eastbourne last year and she made the last four in Solihull in 2021. She has played Raducanu only once before, winning 7-5, 6-4 on the hard courts at Ostrava two years ago.
Playing at home, in Nottingham a fortnight ago and here, has been a boon for Raducanu and she rode the wave of the crowd’s support yesterday. “ I am 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,” she said, hoping for another uplifting experience today.
“It is incredibly difficult when you are playing someone so in form like Jessica. She came off the back of a great run in Berlin and no doubt she is feeling confident on the grass. I am really pleased with how I managed to navigate some really tough situations and I didn’t think I would be able to get myself out of it, so I would say this match is one of the more meaningful ones to me.
“I have been going through some stuff, so to come through has been really nice.”
The draw, given her injury problems over the past 18 months, has been pretty daunting but getting through to the quarter-final has been an important test of her resilience and today should give us an even better gauge of her progress and potential, whatever the outcome.
2024-06-27T16:46:53Z dg43tfdfdgfd