By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Sunday, Might 11, 2025
Photograph credit score: Clive Brunskill/Getty
Flushing Meadows is a good distance from the Foro Italico.
Nonetheless, we may even see Instances Sq.-level electrical energy pop among the many muscular marble statues when US Open champions Coco Gauff and Emma Raducanu sq. off on Rome’s pink clay for a quarterfinal spot.
Immediately, the fourth-seeded Gauff dispatched Magda Linette 7-5, 6-3 to succeed in the spherical of 16 for the fourth time.
The resurgent Raducanu rebounded resoundingly.
Raducanu roared by way of 12 of the final 13 video games in a 5-7, 6-0, 6-1 win over Veronika Kudermetova to succeed in her maiden Rome spherical of 16.
The 21-year-old Gauff is the youngest girl to succeed in the Rome spherical of 16 4 instances since former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in 2011.
Regardless of patches of sloppy serving—Gauff hit six double faults with no aces—the WTA Finals champion discovered her vary and rhythm because the match progressed in avenging a 6-4, 6-4 loss to Linette earlier than her house followers on the Miami Open in March.
Avenging that defeat retains Gauff on a historic path within the Everlasting Metropolis. The Delray Seaside-born baseliner is bidding to develop into the youngest girl to succeed in Madrid and Rome finals in the identical season and the primary American to win Rome since Serena Williams in 2016.
After a tricky opening-round win, Gauff navigated a stress check changing her fifth match level—after she saved a break level—to shut in a single hour, 41 minutes. Gauff gave herself a B grade for the Mom’s Day victory.
“Most likely a B; I believe I used to be taking part in the fitting manner the entire match,” Gauff instructed Tennis Channel host Prakash Amritraj afterward. “I believe I might have gotten extra depth within the first set.
“Possibly an A as a result of I misplaced to her in Miami so it was good to get revenge.
“I simply attempt to concentrate on respiratory and attempt to sluggish my breath down [under pressure] and simply attempt to overlook about it. As a result of you may’t change the previous. It was positively irritating towards the tip dropping all these match factors however blissful to shut it out on my serve.”
It opens up the prospect of all-court creativity colliding when Gauff and Raducanu meet for the primary time on pink clay. It will likely be their second total assembly.
In a match of each excellent and someday sporadic shot making, Gauff defeated Raducanu 6-3, 7-6(4) on the Australian Open in what many thought was a preview of future main battles.
Two-time Rome semifinalist and former French Open finalist Gauff is way extra skilled on clay than Raducanu.
Nonetheless, the Forty ninth-ranked Raducanu is taking part in the most effective clay-court tennis of her life proper now.
“I’ll watch some [Gauff matches], I believe my crew will watch,” Raducanu instructed Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj. “She’s such an ideal opponent you must play very well and execute your sport nice.
“I believe I’ve gone away from finding out my opponent a lot and [instead] specializing in myself.”
Tennis Channel commentator and former ATP professional Mark Petchey isn’t listed as Raducanu’s official coach, however he has been instrumental in her bounce again. Petchey, who previously coached Andy Murray, has been in Raducanu’s field as an unofficla coach since Miami began and did a coaching block together with her earlier than this clay marketing campaign started.
Working with Petchey and Jane O’Donoghue, a resurgent Raducanu has posted an 8-2 report in her final three occasions, reached the Miami Open quarterfinals and returned to the Prime 50 for the primary time in three years.
Importantly, Raducanu, who was spooked by a stalker throughout the Center East swing, appears to be like a lot happier on court docket today. That reveals within the reality she’s preventing on a point-by-point foundation and never letting grim circumstance, like failing to serve out the primary set at 5-4 immediately, dampen her preventing spirit.
In fact, Raducanu will want greater than good vibes and sound sport plan in opposition to the gritty Gauff.
WTA Finals champion Gauff mentioned she’s anticipating “an ideal match” in opposition to Raducanu.
“She’s clearly an ideal participant,” Gauff instructed Tennis Channel host Prakash Amritraj. “Final time we performed it was an ideal match.
“I believe she has the sport to be an ideal clay court docket participant clearly an ideal participant typically however particularly on clay. It’s gonna be an ideal match. Yeah I’m trying ahead to it and hopefully I can come out with the win.”
Each ladies are exceptionally fast across the court docket, each are agile athletes who can create magic on the transfer and each can carry the variability to rallies.
Gauff usually performs excessive heavy topspin forehands down the road to each transfer an opponent again behind the baseline and create the crosscourt backhand exchanges the place she’s so deadly.
Like Gauff, Raducanu’s backhand is her extra dependable wing, however the Briton’s forehand grip isn’t as excessive as Gauff’s western grip so she’s usually extra harmful on the low ball to the forehand.
Raducanu modified up the tempo and heights of her pictures, defusing the flat-hitting Kudermetova.
Can Raducanu work the shot slice backhand to make Gauff dig low balls out together with her someday flaky forehand? How will Gauff reply to Raducanu’s favourite serve—the slice large on the deuce facet she makes use of to open the court docket for the primary strike?
Who will win the battle of court docket positioning and the way will Raducanu reply if Gauff is stepping in blasting her backhand with authority as she did dismantling reigning Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek in Madrid?
These are questions to think about when the US Open champion conflict on Rome’s pink clay.
It was an ideal day for US Open champions.
The 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu broke serve thrice and saved all 5 break factors she confronted upsetting 2023 Rome champion Elena Rybakina, 6-2, 6-4.
Deploying unsettling number of pictures, Andreescu superior to the spherical of 16 the place she might meet Olympic gold-medal champion Zheng Qinwen.
All that occurred after reigning US Open champion and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka subdued 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.
The massive-hitting Belarusian Sabalenka will face Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk for a quarterfinal spot.
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