"Getting yourself out of rock bottom, I think it's a fun challenge & I have twisted my perception of it" - Emma Raducanu on what she enjoys the most about her game
In one of the longest two-set matches on the women's circuit, Emma Raducanu beat Camila Osorio in the second round of the Citi Open to reach her third quarterfinal since winning the US Open last year. It took two hours, 50 minutes and two tie-breaks for the Brit to prevail over the Colombian 7-6(5), 7-6(4) in their first ever meeting.
The weather conditions in Washington, D.C. are far from perfect, with a humidity level of 62% and the temperature at around 90 degrees. Both Raducanu and Osorio asked for medical timeouts during the match. The harsh circumstances also forced Taylor Fritz to retire mid-match against Dan Evans in his second-round match.
What a match!
@EmmaRaducanu takes a 2:50 7-6(5), 7-6(4) win over Osorio to reach her 2nd @WTA quarterfinal of the year! #CitiOpen https://t.co/vSJcHZsqST
World No. 10 Raducanu and 67th-ranked Osorio broke each other's serve four times and displayed a high level of tennis with a plethora of fearless shots. While the 19-year-old Brit had 51 unforced errors to her name, her 20-year-old opponent stood at 60.
A physically and mentally exhausted Raducanu attended a press conference after the match, where she was asked to define the most enjoyable aspect of her game. She was quick to mention her ability to fight back from unsuitable situations multiple times and the fact that she had started to embrace it.
"Right now, I most enjoy the challenge of continuously coming back and getting back up. Getting yourself out of rock bottom, really, a lot of times repetitively, I think it's a fun challenge and I think I have twisted my perception of it. I'm not viewing it as a negative thing anymore. I'm just seeing, 'okay, like the cards are not great right now, but what can I do to turn it around?' Then the reward that you feel after a win, knowing that you have come through that, it means a lot more," Raducanu said.
Emma Raducanu to face Liudmila Samsonova next
Emma Raducanu reached only her second quarterfinal this year after defeating Camila Osorio in a demanding match. She will next face Liudmila Samsonova in the last-eight stage and will look to reach her first semifinal since winning the 2021 US Open.
@EmmaRaducanu battles to a 7-6(5), 7-6(4) victory over Osorio in 2h49m to reach the quarterfinals in Washington!Some grit from the Brit ✊
🇬🇧 @EmmaRaducanu battles to a 7-6(5), 7-6(4) victory over Osorio in 2h49m to reach the quarterfinals in Washington!
#CitiOpen https://t.co/0QPXTgBOnF
World No. 60 Samsonova is 23 years of age and hails from Russia. In her first two matches at the Citi Open, she beat Belgium's Elise Mertens and Croatian-Australian Ajla Tomljanovic. This will be the first match between her and British No. 1 Raducanu.