Emma Raducanu beats Ana Bogdan to reach Transylvania Open quarters
A few days after successfully navigating tension, frustration and inexperience to secure her first-ever WTA win, Emma Raducanu returned to the BT Arena far more relaxed and at ease.
It was reflected in a far less stressful day on the court. She served exceptionally well and imposed her more potent weapons on a challenging but inferior opponent, defeating Ana Bogdan of Romania 6-3, 6-4 to move into the quarter-final of the Transylvania Open in Cluj-Napoca.
The victory marked Raducanu’s 25th win of the year in all competitions, with just seven losses, and she has now reached her second tour-level quarter-final. She will next face fellow teenager – and rival from junior days – Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine, who coolly moved past Germany’s Mona Barthel 6-4, 6-4.
After her victory, a five-minute on-court interview followed in which Raducanu revealed that, rather than keeping it in her front room at home, the replica trophy she will eventually receive for her US Open victory would be shipped to the LTA’s National Tennis Centre, where it will be on display.
“If you want to see it, it’s at the NTC,” she said. “I think the LTA has done so much for me, and I wanted them to have it as a sign and a big thank you for everything they have done, helping me through the young ages. They took control of my development. So, it’s a little gift.”
Thursday’s obstacle came in the form of the world No 106 Bogdan, a quick, durable athlete with a sweet backhand. They battled in front of just over 100 tournament staff and sponsors who politely cheered for both players, a consideration they would not have afforded for many other foreign-born players.
On the run, she was coming out with shots that were landing on the baseline at times,” said Raducanu. “I was sort of like ‘, How is she getting the ball back again?’ But I think I managed to stay patient and keep going, and in the end, I thought I served it out pretty well. And in general, I think my serve helped me quite a lot in this match.”
After a challenging opening service game, Raducanu’s consistent, deep returning yielded a 3-0 lead. Raducanu was not faultless throughout the set; she struggled at times with her timing on her forehand, and Bogdan’s defence eked out ample errors. However, she played the match on her terms, dictating from inside the baseline, and she served well in most tight moments. After maintaining the opening break throughout the set, Raducanu served the set out to love
Raducanu gained an early break and a 2-0 lead in the second set before losing three games in a row, but she remained composed throughout. The decisive game of the match followed at 3-3, the intensity skyrocketing as Raducanu controlled the exchanges and Bogdan counterpunched efficiently.
In the end, it was the Briton who stood firmly inside the baseline, crunching a series of crosscourt backhands to break. She lost one point in her final two service games, completing an excellent serving day with 83% first serve points won and 72% first serves in.
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