Emma Raducanu edges out No. 8 seed in thriller opener

Emma Raducanu has made a winning start to summer on hard courts in Washington but it didn’t come easy since Elise Mertens put up a much bigger fight than was the case in their Wimbledon match earlier this month.

Raducanu, who entered a WTA 500 tournament in Washington as a wildcard, edged No. 8 seed Mertens 6-2 3-6 6-4 in just less than two and a half hours of play. 

After easily winning the first set, things started getting complicated for Raducanu and she was drawn into a three-setter – where she also experienced ups and downs but ultimately managed to finish on top. 

25 days earlier, Raducanu had a much easier job against Mertens when she dismantled the Belgian 6-1 6-2 at Wimbledon.

Now, Raducanu awaits the winner of the match between Peyton Stearns and Clervie Ngounoue to learn who will be her round-of-16 opponent. 

How Raducanu beat Mertens?

Early in the first set, Raducanu blew an early break but made up for it after clinching back-to-back breaks in the fifth and seventh games to still routinely win the opener. 

At the start of the second set, Raducanu had her chances but she missed out on a break point in the third game and she was punished for that by Mertens, who broke the Briton in the sixth game before serving out for the set three games later.

After dropping the second set, Raducanu started the decided with an early break and a 3-1 lead but allowed Mertens to get back and tie the third set to three games apiece.

Then, Raducanu saved five break points in the seventh game – broke Mertens in the following game for a 5-3 lead – but then failed to serve out for the match in the ninth game. 

However, Raducanu still managed to get a win after breaking Mertens in the 10th game – the game in which the Belgian was serving to stay in the match.