Emma Raducanu confessed that she felt a sudden tension after going up by a set and two breaks against No. 8 seed Yuan Yue in the Seoul round-of-16 just because it wasn't a situation to which she was very accustomed.
ADVERTISEMENT
On Thursday, the 21-year-old ousted the Chinese tennis player 6-4 6-3 to reach her fifth WTA quarterfinal of the year. But it only happened after the Briton converted her seventh match point as she missed out on five match points on her serve in the eighth game of the second set before recollecting and earning and realizing her seventh on Yuan's serve in the following game.
Addressing the situation in her post-match presser, Raducanu honestly revealed what happened.
"Second set, a bit of nerves came in. I haven't been in that situation much. I just had to remind myself I was a set and 5-3 up. I was ready to break, I'd been putting pressure on her service games all the time," the current world No. 70 admitted.
Raducanu on playing next against Daria Kasatkina
For a place in the Seoul semifinal, the 2021 US Open winner will be fighting against No. 1 seed Kasatkina, who dismantled Hailey Baptiste 6-4 6-2 after a first-round bye at the Korea Open.
ADVERTISEMENT
Heading into the match, the Russian owns a 2-0 head-to-head, having previously beaten the Briton 7-5 6-4 in 2022 Ostrava before also claiming a very dominant 6-2 6-2 on the grass courts of Eastbourne in June.
After the Eastbourne loss, Raducanu complained about the windy conditions. And ahead of her third meeting against Kasatkina, the former world No. 10 thinks the Seoul conditions will favor more the top seed but also highlights that she is excited about the upcoming challenge.
"I think these courts suit her because they bounce quite a bit. But for me, every time I get exposure to that top level of opponent, it's invaluable. It allows me to build confidence. It's a match where I don't really have anything to lose," the Briton noted.
