'It's very difficult not to give her a 10 out of 10' - Former Wimbledon champion in awe at Emma Raducanu's US Open performance

Tennis star Emma Raducanu did little wrong during her second round match at the US Open on Wednesday, leading former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli to laud the Brit's performance during the Grand Slam tournament.

Raducanu faced a tricky opponent in Indonesian Janice Tjen, who was also looking to make history having entered the main draw at Flushing Meadows as a qualifier. However, the World No.149 was no match for Raducanu, who recorded an easy 6-2 6-1 victory in exactly one hour to advance to the third round at the US Open.

Having faced adversity since winning the title in New York four years ago, Raducanu seems to have finally found her groove. The former World No.10 saw her ranking plummet due to inactivity from wrist and ankle injuries, leading many to believe her time in the spotlight was over.

However, the 22-year old has shown vast improvements over the past few months, having worked with LTA coach Mark Petchey for most of the year. In addition to improving her fitness, Raducanu has employed a more aggressive style of play that has seen her dominate her opponents thus far at Flushing Meadows.

Raducanu could finally be showing her true potential, says Bartoli

Following her victory over Tjen, several analysts on Sky Sports were quick to praise the British star. Former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli raved about Raducanu's confidence, stating the 22-year old was showing what she was truly capable of.

"It's very difficult not to give her a 10 out of 10 for this performance," said the retired French WTA pro. "She was just incredible, from the very first game. She did not give her opponent anything to work with.
"She was just sublime on her serve, and to be able to take someone like Tjen out of the court in one hour, to reach the third round of the US Open, that's why we're getting so excited. We know the potential and what Raducanu is capable of. It's hard not to get excited with the level she is bringing."

Former British ATP No.1 Tim Henman chimed in, expressing his joy at Raducanu's newfound confidence.

"Raducanu will take so much confidence from that," said Henman. "If you take out of the equation the ranking of her opponent, and purely focus on the way Emma played, it was highly impressive."

Laura Robson, who retired from the WTA in 2022 and now works for Sky Sports, marveled at Raducanu's consistency.

"It was just a really solid performance," said Robson. "Raducanu came out with such a purpose; from the first game of the match you saw the intent on the groundstrokes. She just had that much more in every shot today than Tjen. She has been playing really consistent tennis but this was even a step up from the first round."