Emma Raducanu’s dominant type on the Cincinnati Open ended as seventh seed Jessica Pegula proved a pointy step up in school for the British primary.
Raducanu had trounced veterans Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka, however misplaced 7-5 6-4 to Pegula within the final 16.
Now the 19-year-old switches her focus to defending her crown on the US Open, which begins in New York on 29 August.
Cameron Norrie continued the British curiosity by beating Ben Shelton to achieve the lads’s quarter-finals.
British males’s primary Norrie, seeded ninth, gained 6-0 6-2 towards the teenage American wildcard because the gulf between the pair confirmed.
Norrie, who beat Andy Murray within the earlier spherical, secured victory in simply 57 minutes and can play Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, who’s seeded third, within the quarter-finals.
Following her defeat by Pegula, Raducanu stated her time in Cincinnati had proven that making errors is just not essentially a step backwards.
“Up to now 12 months it is one of many few tournaments that I’ve began going for my photographs extra,” she stated.
“This week I used to be like, ‘look, I am simply going to attempt, I do not care if I make errors, it is fantastic, I am simply going to overhit if something’.
“I am fairly pleased with how I did this week, it is an amazing step to maneuver ahead.”
Defeat however renewed hope for Raducanu after optimistic week
Optimism round Raducanu elevated after her assertion wins towards 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams and fellow main winner Azarenka, albeit with the caveat that each of her ageing opponents are nowhere close to their prime.
In opposition to Williams, the world quantity 13 produced in all probability her greatest efficiency since her shock win on the US Open final 12 months, backing that up with one other assured show towards an out-of-sorts Azarenka.
Dropping simply six video games mixed within the two victories – every lasting slightly over an hour – was a fine addition for Raducanu after a tricky 12 months.
However going through the constant Pegula was at all times seemingly to offer a greater evaluation of the place the Briton’s recreation is.
It was solely the second time in Raducanu’s burgeoning profession that she has confronted a top-10 ranked opponent and, in Pegula, one who has racked up the second highest variety of WTA 1000 match wins because the begin of 2021.
After dropping serve within the third recreation of the match, Raducanu broke straight again however continued to be put underneath stress by Pegula’s heavier ball-striking.
Raducanu fought off three extra break factors to carry for 3-2, and one other within the ninth recreation, earlier than Pegula lastly took one other likelihood for a 6-5 lead.
That left the 28-year-old American serving for the opening set and she or he took the possibility with out conceding some extent.
Latest defeats in Washington and Toronto noticed Raducanu edged out in tight opening units earlier than fading rapidly towards each Liudmila Samsonova and Camila Giorgi.
Raducanu hit an premature double fault to fall a break down early within the second set towards Pegula and whereas her opponent’s stage remained barely greater, confirmed resilience to remain inside a single break.
The slim lead was sufficient for the spectacular Pegula – who’s having fun with her breakout 12 months after combating accidents initially of her profession – to serve out the match with out going through an excessive amount of stress.
Because the US Open approaches, Radacuna stated she continues to be within the strategy of figuring out what sort of participant she desires to be.
“I feel I do every of the features fairly effectively, separated. However I simply have to put them collectively,” she stated.
“For instance, some weeks I’ve served actually, rather well. Then some weeks it will simply disappear and I turn into extra of a defensive participant. Then I turn into extra of an attacking participant.
“So I’m nonetheless looking for the stability and making an attempt to package deal my recreation collectively.”
As many predicted, Raducanu’s first full season on the WTA Tour has been a studying curve, having to cope with a string of harm setbacks in what’s already a tricky adjustment for younger gamers to make.
Nevertheless, she is going to return to Flushing Meadows with renewed hope after a productive and confidence-boosting week in Cincinnati.
High seed Swiatek loses, however Medvedev by way of
Elsewhere within the WTA draw, prime seed Iga Swiatek misplaced within the third spherical for the second successive match.
French Open champion Swiatek, 21, was overwhelmed 6-3 6-1 by American Madison Keys, who earned the primary win of her profession towards a world primary.
Poland’s Swiatek has misplaced 4 of her previous eight matches since her 37-match profitable streak was ended at Wimbledon.
Keys will face Elena Rybakina within the quarter-finals after the Wimbledon champion beat American Alison Riske-Amritraj 6-2 6-4.
Czech Petra Kvitova gained 6-1 4-6 6-0 towards Tunisia’s Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur, whereas Estonian second seed Anett Kontaveit was knocked out by China’s Zhang Shuai who triumphed 2-6 6-4 6-4.
Within the males’s draw, world primary Daniil Medvedev wore down Canada’s Denis Shapovalov 7-5 7-5 to achieve the quarter-finals earlier than he begins his US Open title defence.
The Russian faces American Taylor Fritz, who beat Medvedev’s compatriot Andrey Rublev 6-7 (4-7) 6-2 7-5.
Greek fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, Canadian seventh seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and American John Isner are additionally by way of, together with Croatia’s Borna Coric who adopted up his win over Rafael Nadal by beating one other Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut.
