Raducanu Storms into Washington Quarter-Finals with Dominant Win Over Naomi Osaka Ahead of US Open Return
Emma Raducanu delivered a statement performance at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, overpowering former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka 6-4, 6-2 to book her spot in the quarter-finals in Washington, D.C. The 2021 US Open champion showed sharp form as she builds momentum for her highly anticipated return to Flushing Meadows next month.
Raducanu, now set to face Greece’s Maria Sakkari — who edged out Emma Navarro 7-5, 7-6 — will continue her US Open preparations live on Sky Sports as she eyes another deep run on American hard courts.
The emphatic win not only strengthens Raducanu’s title hopes in D.C. but also sees her reclaim the British No. 1 ranking from Katie Boulter. After a third-round exit at Wimbledon dropped her to 46th in the world, Raducanu now climbs back on top among British women.
“I knew I had to be sharp,” Raducanu said in her post-match interview. “Naomi’s a four-time Slam winner and former world No. 1. She’s incredibly dangerous, especially on hard courts. I’m proud of how I managed my service games and handled the conditions.”
Raducanu seized control early, breaking Osaka in the fifth game of the first set after a costly double fault. She consolidated the break with a love hold, then closed out the set in just 38 minutes following a long forehand error from Osaka.
She continued her dominance into the second set, breaking Osaka immediately and fending off a break point to extend her lead to 3-1. Another Osaka double fault handed Raducanu a 4-1 advantage, and the Briton never looked back.
Raducanu saved a break point with a powerful first serve before converting her third match point to seal the victory. She ended the match with a commanding 76% win rate on her first serve and a solid 61% on her second, compared to just 45% from Osaka. The Japanese star struggled with inconsistency throughout, committing seven double faults and failing to capitalize on either of her two break chances.
With her sights now set on Sakkari, Raducanu looks poised and confident as she aims to reignite the spark that lit up the 2021 US Open.
