Flawless in Montreal: Emma Raducanu crushes Peyton Stearns for spot in Canadian Open third round

Emma Raducanu secured another victory at the Canadian Open, defeating 32nd seed Peyton Stearns in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4. The former US Open champion continues her campaign in Montreal and advances to the Round of 32, where she awaits her opponent between Amanda Anisimova and Lulu Sun.

The Brit came into the match after a first-round win – by an identical score – against Romania's Elena-Gabriela Ruse. The world No. 33 still needs one more win if she wants to defend this week's points and remain in the higher ranks.

Currently, Raducanu can be pleased with her performance in the hardcourt swing so far, accumulating 5 wins and only one loss. Last week, Raducanu defeated Marta Kostyuk, Naomi Osaka, and Maria Sakkari (all in straight sets), before falling to Anna Kalinskaya in the semifinals – marking her first appearance at this stage of a WTA 500.

On Stearns' side, this marks her third consecutive first-round defeat – after falling to Laura Siegemund at Wimbledon and Venus Williams in Washington. The American loses her chance to be seeded at the US Open and will return to the courts next week at the Cincinnati Open.

First Set: Raducanu's precision secures early lead

The first set saw an imposing Raducanu on serve, with a total of 6 aces and winning 71% of points on her first serve. The Brit capitalized on her opponent's errors and poor second-serve effectiveness to secure the first break in the 4th game. The Brit managed to string together 11 consecutive points on her serve, leading to a 5-2 advantage.

At that moment, the most contested game of the match unfolded on Stearns' serve, totaling 20 points. Raducanu converted her 6th break point to take the set 6-2. The Brit had not conceded any break opportunities to her opponent, while she took the set after converting 2/7 chances in her favor after 42 minutes.

Second Set: Raducanu's resilience awar

Things improved at the start of the second set for Stearns, who showed greater effectiveness on serve and managed to pressure Raducanu into seeking the break. In the third game, Raducanu saved a break point against her, but by the 5th game, Stearns managed to take the lead. Without offering many chances on her serve, the American world No. 37 comfortably led 4-2.

Raducanu didn't falter and showed resilience at the most important moment of the match. She secured a break in the 8th game – leveling at 4-4, and in the next game, she saved up to three break points against her to stay in the battle and take the lead. Stearns, however, couldn't perform under the greatest pressure, and Raducanu took the break that ultimately gave her the 6-2, 6-4 victory, securing her passage to the Round of 32.

Raducanu reached 21 victories in WTA 1000 tournaments throughout her career (11 of them this year), and she now has 23 wins this season. With this, she equals her 2024 campaign, her best season in terms of win count, where she achieved the same number of victories.

Raducanu's next challenge will be against the winner between Amanda Anisimova (5th seed) and Lulu Sun, two players she knows well. She has two previous encounters against the American, both this year (Australia and Miami), with Raducanu winning in straight sets on both occasions. On the other hand, against Sun, she suffered a painful defeat in the Wimbledon 2024 fourth round – a tournament where Sun made a name for herself by reaching her first Grand Slam quarterfinals.

Match Statistics Raducanu vs. Stearns