Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu secured a new career milestone by defeating former runner-up Maria Sakkari 6-4, 7-5 in a grueling two-hour, 10-minute match, en route to her maiden semifinal at the Mubadala Citi DC Open on Friday.
Next, she will either square off against No. 4 seed Clara Tauson or Anna Kalinskaya.
An erratic start to the opener behind her serve saw the former world No. 10 hit two double faults, allowing her opponent to open a 2-0 advantage.
However, both players would strive to hold their ground, resulting in a close battle that had its inflection point when, at 4-4, Raducanu converted a pivotal break to serve out for the set, 6-4.
Sakkari, 29, regrouped, leaving no breathing room for her adversary, struggling with the heat, and received medical treatment from the physio.
In her on-court interview, she commented: “It was one of the toughest matches conditions-wise, I have ever played in. Those points in the second set, I was getting a bit wobbly.
“I think the humidity here just makes it feel completely like you have just opened an oven and it just stayed open and your head is in there.”
From there, the relentless 22-year-old turned around the contest by going the extra mile to take five consecutive games, converting two break points in the process.
On a mission, she rallied from 2-5 down in the second set to wrap up 7-5, a confidence-boosting result ahead of her first semifinals at the WTA 500.
The day before, the world No. 46 delivered a solid performance to overpower four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka 6-4, 7-5 in their first-ever meeting.
Raducanu, who is partnering former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the women’s doubles, will return to the court on Friday evening.
Together, they will play second seeds Taylor Townsend and Zhang Shuai for a place in the final.
Following her quarterfinal victory, she will become the new No. 1 British racket on Monday. Moreover, she is likely to be seeded at the US Open.