British tennis star Emma Raducanu has delivered a remarkable comeback victory at the Italian Open, powering past Veronika Kudermetova to secure her place in the last 16.
The former US Open champion demonstrated tremendous resilience after dropping the first set, responding with a commanding performance to claim a 5-7 6-0 6-1 triumph.
Raducanu's victory marks a significant milestone in her clay court development, showcasing her growing versatility on the challenging surface.
The world No. 49 initially struggled in a tight opening set but found her rhythm spectacularly in the second, delivering a flawless bagel to her Russian opponent.
Emma Raducanu came back to beat Veronika Kudermetova 5-7 6-0 6-1
Reuters
She maintained her momentum throughout the deciding set, completing a dominant turnaround that will surely boost her confidence ahead of a challenging fourth-round encounter.
The British star's impressive victory was briefly overshadowed by an awkward moment with the umpire following her dominant second set performance.
After securing the 6-0 bagel, Raducanu immediately walked towards the baseline to consult with her team, coach Mark Petchey and mentor Jane O'Donoghue.
However, the chair umpire promptly called her back to the bench, reminding her that extended discussions with coaches are only permitted during medical time-outs.
"Well, what's happening here? Raducanu being called by the umpire," noted Sky Sports' Jonathan Overend during commentary.
"She went straight over to her coaching team and the umpire saying that she does need to take her seat."
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Raducanu quickly acknowledged her mistake and apologised to the official.
The brief incident didn't disrupt her focus, as she regrouped effectively to continue her commanding performance in the deciding set.
The match proved to be a rollercoaster affair, with neither player establishing clear dominance during a tightly contested opening set.
Kudermetova initially took a 4-3 lead before Raducanu levelled, but despite having a chance to serve out the set at 5-4, the Brit faltered.
The Russian capitalised on Raducanu's struggles with her second serve, winning the final three games to claim the first set 7-5 after 63 minutes.
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Emma Raducanu was in fine form on Sunday to make it through to the next round of the Italian Open
Reuters
The momentum shifted dramatically in the second set as Raducanu elevated her performance while Kudermetova's level dropped significantly.
The 28-year-old Russian called for the physio at 5-0 down and received an off-court medical time-out.
Raducanu seized this opportunity to serve some practice balls and consult with her team.
Despite a somewhat scrappy game when serving for the set, she completed the bagel before maintaining her dominance throughout the decider.
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Emma Raducanu will now face Coco Gauff on Monday
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This remarkable victory marks a significant milestone in Raducanu's clay court journey, which she recently described as "complicated".
It represents the first time she has reached the fourth round at a Grand Slam or WTA 1000 event on the challenging surface.
The British No. 2 has shown impressive adaptability throughout the tournament, having previously outlasted teenage qualifier Maya Joint in a three-set battle before dispatching lucky loser Jil Teichmann with ease.
Her reward for this commanding performance is a tantalising clash with world No. 3 Coco Gauff in the last 16.
The American, fresh from reaching the Madrid final, will present Raducanu with her sternest test yet on the Roman clay.
Nevertheless, the manner of this comeback victory suggests our British star is finding her feet on a surface that once proved problematic.
