Emma Raducanu can hold her head very high regardless of how far she goes at the Miami Open, having produced several impressive displays.
Raducanu played spike ball just before her third round win over McCartney Kessler, in which the latter retired hurt.
WTA number 60 Raducanu was leading 6-1, 3-0 at the time, having started her fine Miami Open run with a first round win over Sayaka Ishii.
The 22-year-old won that test 6-2, 6-1, before a hugely impressive 7-6(8-6), 2-6, 7-6(7-3) victory over Emma Navarro.
Raducanu thinks she was too defensive against the eighth seed at times, but she still managed to clinch the huge upset.
Emma Raducanu amazed by ‘outrageous’ Emma Navarro in their Miami Open match
A round of 16 meeting was then secured against Amanda Anisimova, but the Briton was still rightfully very proud of her win against Navarro even after beating Kessler.
Speaking to Sky Sports after progressing, Raducanu said: “I think after the match with Emma, I was watching the highlights and it was pretty outrageous some of the court coverage from the other Emma mainly! I was thinking oh my God she is getting so many balls back and I think I was as well.
“I think I took a lot of confidence from that and to play three hours in the heat and bounce back the way I have today and feeling pretty good in my body, I am really proud of myself and my team and the work I have been putting in and the environment we are building.”
Injury-free Emma Raducanu feeling more confident at the Miami Open
The WTA and its followers will undoubtedly be welcoming this return to form from Raducanu, who once shocked the tennis world with her 2021 US Open win.
Since then, however, various distractions have impacted her progression, namely injuries and coaching changes.
It remains to be seen what direction she will take with the latter in the near future, but the Briton has now shared a positive fitness update at the Miami Open.
“The main thing is that I haven’t had any major injuries,” she said. “That is the biggest struggle I have had in the past few years.
“Touch wood my body is okay right now and I think also the movement in the corners, I am getting to a lot more balls and by practising it and challenging myself to get to each ball I think I have developed the confidence and the hand skills to do something with it while I am there as well.”
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