Emma Raducanu Blazes Through To US Open Third Round

Emma Raducanu seems to be treating her time at the US Open like she’s double-parked. First, she dispatched Ena Shibahara in a brisk 62 minutes. Not to be outdone by herself, she then decided that was two minutes too long, crushing Janice Tjen 6-2, 6-1 in exactly one hour on Wednesday. At this rate, she’ll be winning her third-round match during the coin toss.

The 2021 champ is looking less like a sentimental favorite and more like a wrecking ball in a hurry. Playing on the grand stage of Louis Armstrong Stadium, Raducanu looked completely at home, reminding everyone of the magic she captured here just a few years ago. It was a performance so dominant you almost felt bad for Tjen, who was simply caught in the path of a tennis freight train. How long can the former champion keep it going?

How Raducanu Dismantled Her Opponent

From the very first serve, Raducanu was on a mission. She immediately broke Tjen’s serve, storming out to a 3-0 lead. There was a brief moment of resistance in the third game where Tjen earned three break points, a glimmer of hope that she might make a match of it. Raducanu promptly slammed the door on that idea, held her serve, and continued the demolition.

The rest of the match was a masterclass in efficiency. Her serve was a weapon of mass destruction, firing off eight aces and winning an incredible 76% of her first-serve points. She broke Tjen again to seal the first set and then reeled off five straight games in the second. Tjen managed to get one game on the board, a small victory in a tidal wave of a defeat, before Raducanu served it out with the kind of confidence that should make her future opponents very nervous.

What Lies Ahead For Raducanu?

Now, let’s pump the brakes just a little. While Raducanu has looked nothing short of spectacular, her opponents so far have both been qualifiers ranked outside the top 100. It is like a heavyweight boxer warming up on the speed bag; it looks impressive, but the real fight is yet to come.

And what a fight it could be. The path gets significantly steeper from here. She could be staring down a third-round clash with the ninth seed, Elena Rybakina. Yes, that Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion with a serve that could knock down a brick wall. That potential matchup is the kind of popcorn-worthy tennis that fans dream of.

For now, though, the British No. 1 has done everything asked of her and more. She’s not just winning; she’s making a statement. The swagger is back, the shots are crisp, and Raducanu is looking dangerously good on the hard courts of New York.