LONDON: Emma Raducanu cruised into the quarter-finals at the Queen’s Club Championships with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Rebecca Sramkova on Thursday but fellow Britons Katie Boulter and Heather Watson were knocked out.
The stands at the Andy Murray Arena were packed for Raducanu’s victory as she became the lone Briton left in the tournament and will next play top seed and Paris Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen.
Raducanu raced into a 5-0 lead as the 22-year-old looked at ease on the grass but Sramkova saved two set points in the sixth game, finding her range in a comeback that quickly gathered pace.
The Slovak won four games on the trot as Raducanu’s winners dried up but the Briton then recovered and served to love to seal the opening set, flashing a sheepish smile at her team as she walked back to her seat. Raducanu took confidence from her first serve and started the second set as she did the first, racing into a 4-0 lead after quickly consolidating a double break when Sramkova made a slew of errors.
Raducanu then won the contest by converting a sixth break point, with victory confirming the former US Open champion’s status as the British number one again, leapfrogging her doubles partner Boulter.
“I don’t think it was my cleanest performance, but I’m really happy to have pushed through in some tight moments that decided the first set,” Raducanu said. “It was really helpful ... to have a big roar of support to get me through that last service game. So I appreciate that.”
Meanwhile, Zheng Qinwen survived a scare to reach the quarter-finals as the Chinese top seed beat McCartney Kessler 6-3, 4-6, 7-5.
Zheng trailed 4-2 in the final set of the last 16 clash against the world number 42.
But the Paris Olympic champion roared back to avoid a shock defeat at the Wimbledon warm-up event in west London.
Success at Queen’s would be a significant boost to her Wimbledon aspirations and next up for the Chinese star is a last eight clash with Raducanu.
Fourth seed Elena Rybakina showcased her power as she fired nine aces to beat Watson 6-4, 6-2 after the Briton failed to capitalise on seven break points.
Former Wimbledon champion Rybakina also became the first female player to fire 200 aces this year.
Russian fifth seed Diana Shnaider fought back from a set down to beat Boulter 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 to set up a quarter-final with Australian Open champion Madison Keys.
Rybakina will play Germany’s Tatjana Maria in the last eight, while Australian Open holder Madison Keys faces Shnaider and Emma Navarro takes on fellow American Amanda Anisimova.
Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2025
