Emma Raducanu and Aryna Sabalenka recently faced off against each other at the Cincinnati Open. During the match, the Brit clashed with the umpire over a crying child’s removal from the stadium and received support from the crowd for her request.
For Raducanu and Sabalenka, this encounter marked a re-match of their clash at the Wimbledon Championships. Back then, the 22-year-old had put on a strong performance, pushing the reigning World No.1 hard before going down 7-6(6), 6-4.
Emma Raducanu and Aryna Sabalenka’s match in Cincinnati was also a closely fought battle. However, a crying child in the audience disrupted the game, and when Raducanu turned to the umpire, the umpire stated,
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"It's a child, do you want me to send the child out of the stadium?"
In response, multiple members of the audience spoke out in support of Raducanu. Watch a video of the moment below:
Emma Raducanu reflects on her performance against Aryna Sabalenka
Emma Raducanu and Aryna Sabalenka's clash at the Cincinnati Open got off to a strong start for the former. She raced ahead of a 2-0 lead, before the World No.1 came from behind to clinch a 7-6(3) win.
However, Raducanu kept up the fight, winning the second game 6-4 to force a decider. The final game was another incredibly close battle with Sabalenka keeping her cool to eke out a 7-6(5) victory.
After the match, Raducanu shared that she was ‘proud of her performance’, telling media,
"She's world No 1 for a reason. I pushed her more than I did at Wimbledon, so that's that's an improvement. Also, it was good to have this result on a hard court because it's very different to grass, and I've always thought grass suits me a lot more - and I still believe that. So to have pushed her on a hard court like that, I'm pretty proud.”
The Brit went on to reflect on the importance of consistency, saying,
"I think starting the point is a big takeaway. I think she did that incredibly well; in the big moments, she served and returned really well. I did too, in certain moments of the match, but to kind of hold that level on the starting point for the whole match, I think that's a big thing for me."
With this win, Aryna Sabalenka now leads Emma Raducanu 3-0 in their head-to-head records. However, the 22-year-old has registered significant improvements in her game during each of their matches.
