Following her commanding victory over Naomi Osaka in Washington, Emma Raducanu has clarified that her two-finger gesture was an inside reference shared with her Wimbledon companions rather than a pointed message to her opponent.
The 22-year-old British player raised two fingers whilst smiling after securing her 6-4, 6-2 triumph on Thursday, prompting immediate speculation amongst tennis fans.
"Yeah, one of my friends are here, so we kind of continued that on."
The clarification came after observers had interpreted the celebration as a potential riposte to Osaka's pre-match remarks.
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|Following her commanding victory over Naomi Osaka in Washington, Emma Raducanu has clarified that her two-finger gesture was an inside reference shared with her Wimbledon companions rather than a pointed message to her opponent
Prior to their round-of-16 encounter, Osaka had drawn a distinction between herself and Raducanu when discussing potential parallels in their careers.
Both players had achieved their first major triumph at the US Open, but when asked about similarities between them, the 27-year-old Japanese player highlighted a key difference.
"I won my second Slam after I won my first Slam," Osaka stated, emphasising her multiple major victories.
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Emma Raducanu’s reaction after beating Naomi Osaka in Washington.
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 24, 2025
Big smile after a big performance today.
Great to see her playing so well ahead of the U.S. Open. ❤️
pic.twitter.com/yXO7iLgeVa
The Japanese player's trophy cabinet includes four Grand Slam titles - two US Open championships from 2018 and 2020, alongside a pair of Australian Open victories.
In contrast, Raducanu's sole major title remains her breakthrough 2021 US Open triumph, which she captured as a qualifier.
The match itself saw Raducanu deliver an assured performance against the former world No 1, wrapping up proceedings in straight sets.
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After clinching victory with a 6-4, 6-2 scoreline, the British player immediately displayed the two-finger salute that would subsequently generate considerable discussion online.
Raducanu's focus now shifts to her quarter-final clash against Maria Sakkari, who secured her place in the last eight with a straight-sets victory.
The Greek player overcame Emma Navarro 7-5, 7-6 to set up the encounter with Raducanu in Washington.
Raducanu, elaborating further on her win over Osaka, said: “I thought it was going to be a really difficult match. Naomi’s won four slams, she’s been world number one, won Masters.
“She’s so dangerous and on the hard courts I think she’s particularly comfortable. I knew I was going to have to play really well and manage my own service games, which I’m really proud of how I did.
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|Emma Raducanu was outstanding as she beat Naomi Osaka at the Washington Open
“I was making some inroads in her service games after I got used to it a little bit. I’m really pleased with how I handled the ball speed and the conditions here in DC.”
The quarter-final meeting with Sakkari presents another opportunity for the 22-year-old to advance deeper into the competition.