“Naomi Osaka is so dangerous” – Emma Raducanu beams with pride after shocking ex-World No. 1 at Citi DC Open

Emma Raducanu won the clash of Grand Slam champions, ousting Naomi Osaka at the 2025 Citi Open. She was in complete control of the second-round encounter, coming through in straight sets.

The 2021 US Open champion has been struggling with injuries and a loss of form, but looked at her vintage best when taking the ball early in her match against Osaka.

The Japanese player has four Grand Slam titles to her name, all of which came on the hardcourts. Raducanu was aware of the threat that her opponent posed and was, in fact, proud of how she handled the match.

The Briton showered praise on Osaka during her on-court interview, saying she knew that she would need to be at her best to beat her fellow Slam champion.

Trending

“I felt it was going to be a really difficult match. Naomi’s won four Slams, been No. 1, won Masters, she’s so dangerous," Emma Raducanu said. "On hard courts she’s particularly comfortable. I knew I was gonna have to play really well."

Dissecting the match-up further, Raducanu said that the key for her was to serve well. By getting through her service games quickly, she said, she was able to focus on making inroads into Osaka’s service game. She successfully broke her opponent on three occasions.

"I knew I was going to have to manage my own service games, which I'm really proud of how I did," Raducanu said. "Then I was making inroads into her service games once I got used to it a bit ... If you float the second serve in, Naomi's going to crunch it. I had to trust my abilities in the second serve and go for it."

Emma Raducanu continues strong run at Citi Open with Naomi Osaka win

Emma Raducanu has found her footing after enduring an up-and-down start to the 2025 season. Before beating Naomi Osaka at the Citi Open, she had also posted a solid win over seventh seed Marta Kostyuk.

The Briton’s fortune had, in fact, turned around at the start of the grass swing. She made a strong start by making the quarterfinal at the Queen’s Club Championships before following it up with decent showings at Eastbourne and Wimbledon.

At the Wimbledon tournament, Raducanu beat former champion Marketa Vondrousova and Mingge Xu before putting up a brave fight against World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback

About the author

Vedant Chandel

Vedant is an experienced journalist at Sportskeeda, having been part of the team since 2016. Known for his insightful coverage of Tennis, Hockey, and Olympic sports at the company, he has also been contributing to the Hindustan Times for the past 3 years.

Holding a Master's degree in English, and a PG Diploma in Print Journalism, Vedant's academic background equips him well for his journalism endeavors. He has covered the Olympics qualifiers on the ground, taken exclusive interviews with multiple Indian Olympians, and clinched Sportskeeda's prestigious Writer Award for Best Olympics Commentator in 2021.

While Vedant remains neutral on the Tennis GOAT debate, he holds a deep admiration for Tsvetana Pironkova and Petra Kvitova for their unparallelled grasscourt skills and personalities, along with Juan Martin del Potro. As for tournaments, his heart is undeniably drawn to Wimbledon, and when asked why, he simply states, "There's something about the grass."

Beyond his passion for sports, he enjoys traveling and has a soft spot for good movies.

Know More