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Emma Raducanu battled through a two-hour rain delay to secure a spot in the Washington Open quarter-finals with a victory over American Peyton Stearns.
Raducanu, who opted out of the chance to play for Great Britain at the Olympics, triumphed over Stearns, ranked 51 in the world, with a 7-6 (8-6) 6-2 win.
Heavy rain interrupted the match just as Raducanu was about to clinch the opening set. Despite the delay, she managed to secure the set in a tie-break upon resumption.
“It’s tricky today, when you get rained off at such a big moment like that. It can affect the dynamics of the match,” Raducanu remarked.
Raducanu will face the winner of the match between wildcard Paula Badosa and third seed Liudmila Samsonova in the next round.
She expressed gratitude to the audience for their patience during the late-night match. “I knew it was going to be a tough match against Peyton, especially [with Stearns] playing at home,” she added. “It’s been a good run for me in the last few months, I think I’m building some momentum.”
Currently ranked world number 89, Raducanu is still recovering from wrist and ankle surgery. She turned down the Olympic invitation to avoid switching back to clay courts at Roland Garros, focusing instead on hard courts in preparation for the upcoming US Open, which she won in 2021 as a qualifier.
