World No. 11 Emma Raducanu says she is just vibing out in Madrid and it is paying off as she has been through to the Madrid round-of-16. Raducanu, seeded at No. 9, demolished Marta Kostyuk 6-2 6-1 to progress into the last-16 in Madrid.
Raducanu is playing in Madrid for the first time and she now has a good chance to make it a memorable debut in the Spanish capital. “I’m just vibing out here to be honest. I love it,” Raducanu told Amazon Prime, as quoted on Eurosport.
“The big part of it is just the enjoyment factor and I think in the recent months and weeks I’ve found enjoyment in the process and the journey of getting knocked down and getting back up because that’s happened plenty of times in the last six months.
“I feel like now I’m just really cherishing everything – the highs and lows – as part of it.”
Raducanu dominated Kostyuk
Raducanu made a good start to the match, having claimed the first break of the match in the opening game.
Raducanu had a chance to go up by a double break but she missed out on a break point in the third game. Four games later, Raducanu earned her second break as she broke Kostyuk in the seventh game for a 5-2 lead, before serving out for the first set in the following game.
After winning the first set, Raducanu made a stunning start to the second set as she claimed back-to-back breaks to open a 4-0 lead. Kostyuk served out the fifth game to reduce the deficit to 4-1 and finally end Raducanu’s streak of seven games.
However, it changed nothing as Raducanu served out the sixth game to take a 5-1 lead, before breaking Kostyuk in the seventh game to seal a straight-set win. Raducanu now has a good chance to reach the Madrid quarterfinal as she plays next Anhelina Kalinina.
Raducanu has no previous meetings against Kalinina. It remains to be seen if Raducanu can beat Kalinina and reach the quarterfinal in Madrid.
