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British tennis player Emma Raducanu moved within touching distance of her first WTA final since her stunning 2021 US Open victory, defeating Greece’s Maria Sakkari 6-4, 7-5 in Friday’s DC Open quarter-finals.
She could face a familiar opponent in the final—Canada’s Leylah Fernandez, the player she beat in that famous Flushing Meadows title match nearly four years ago.
Fernandez also secured a semi-final spot, overcoming leg cramps and saving a set point to edge out American Taylor Townsend 6-4, 7-6 (7/4).
Raducanu, who has battled through injury setbacks, including hand, ankle, and foot issues, over the past two years, showed impressive resilience under brutal conditions.
With the temperature hitting 35°C (95°F), she fought through a second-set medical timeout and stifling humidity to claim victory.
“It was one of the toughest matches I’ve ever played in terms of conditions,” Raducanu admitted. “It felt like opening an oven and sticking your head in. I’m just happy I was able to close it out in two sets.”
The Brit, now in her first WTA semi-final since Nottingham in 2023, will face the winner of the match between Denmark’s Clara Tauson and Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya.
In the other semi-final, Fernandez will meet either third seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan or Poland’s Magdalena Frech.
Raducanu, Britain’s first female Grand Slam champion since Virginia Wade in 1977, had earlier beaten Naomi Osaka in the second round.
Despite struggling physically during the quarter-final, she managed to string together five consecutive games to seal the win.
“There comes a point where you’re so exhausted that you almost stop thinking, and maybe that helped,” she joked. “I just had to be smooth, conserve energy, and focus on every point.”
Reflecting on her progress, Raducanu said reaching the semi-final stage again marked a significant personal milestone.
“It’s a big benchmark for me,” she said. “I’ve played three strong matches to get here, and I’m proud that all the hard work is starting to show.”
Meanwhile, Fernandez’s gritty performance saw her claw back from 3-4 down in the second set, despite visibly suffering from leg cramps.
She eventually broke Townsend in a lengthy tenth game to force a tie-break, which she won convincingly.
Fernandez has won three WTA titles to date—the 2021 and 2022 Monterrey Opens and the 2023 Hong Kong Open. Her last final appearance came in Eastbourne in 2023.
