Emma Raducanu storms into round of 16 with home crowd behind her

Emma Raducanu cruised to a straight-set win against Greek star Maria Sakkar, reaching the last 16 of a Grand Slam for the first time since her 2021 US Open victory.

Playing on a wildcard, Raducanu, ranked at 135, has endured several injuries and coaching changes in the past three years, but seemed to be finding some of her old form with the home crowd giving her also giving her a boost.

She's back into the second week for the first time since her debut as an 18-year-old in 2021, when she had to retire with breathing problems in the second set against Ajla Tomljanovic and later said the moment had “caught up” with her.

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Her form had been building leading into the tournament, with the Brit making her first semi-final of the year at Nottingham last month. She also scored her first win against a top 10 player against Jessica Pegula, saving a match point in the process.

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After a couple of injury-plagued seasons, the British home favourite is playing some of her best tennis since winning at Flushing Meadows as a qualifier..

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 3: Emma Raducanu (GBR) celebrates after winning her Ladies' Singles Second Round match against Elise Mertens (BEL) during day three of The Championships Wimbledon 2024 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 3, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Rob Newell - CameraSport/CameraSport via Getty Images) CameraSport via Getty Images

And any discomfort with playing in front of a home crowd with huge expectations seems to have gone away.

“Today was really up there with the most fun I’ve had on a tennis court,” Raducanu said.

"I really enjoyed every single moment. I think I was just telling myself, how many times in your life are you going to get the opportunity to play in front of a full Centre Court?”

Raducanu defeated Sakkari in the semi-finals on her way to her history-making US Open breakthrough almost three years ago.

Raducanu, who is also playing mixed doubles with Andy Murray, will next face qualifier Lulu Sun, who became the first woman from New Zealand to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon in the Open era.

Sun has a lot in common with Raducanu. Both have Chinese heritage on their mother's side, and Sun has also managed to make it far in a Grand Slam as a qualifier.

“Qualifiers are actually sometimes more dangerous,” Raducanu said. “I’m really up for a battle, though.”

Meantime, Coco Gauff, who's never been to the quarter-finals at the All England Club, will get a third crack at it after beating British qualifier Sonay Kartal 6-4, 6-0 in the third round .

But for someone who played in two Grand Slam finals before turning 20 — winning one of them, at last year's U.S. Open — just getting to the quarter-finals, even at Wimbledon, isn't much of a goal.

“I feel like at this point, it feels as if losing in the fourth (round) or the quarter-finals feels the same in a way, just because I do have such big aspirations,” said Gauff, who also reached the semi-finals at both the Australian Open and French Open this year. “I feel like it sucks to say this, but once you win, you kind of take it for granted. I try not to, obviously. When you make a lot of quarterfinals in Slams, in general it just makes you want to make it to a semifinal. You make a couple semifinals, you want to make the final.”

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 03: Coco Gauff of United States celebrates as she plays against Anca Todoni of Romania in her Ladies' Singles second round match during day three of The Championships Wimbledon 2024 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 03, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images) Getty

Gauff has also been a crowd favorite at Wimbledon ever since she burst onto the grass by beating Venus Williams in the first round in 2019.

So it was a slightly strange feeling for the American to know that a large section of the crowd would be rooting against her on Friday. That's because she was going up against Kartal, a British qualifier who had exceeded expectations just by making the third round.

“I think this is my first time ever playing a British player here, so I was a little bit nervous honestly, going in," Gauff told the crowd after her win on No. 1 Court. “Because I knew you guys would be for her. Which is totally understandable.”

Gauff will play another American next in Emma Navarro, who she beat in straight sets in Auckland in January. Navarro is making only her second appearance at Wimbledon, having lost in the first round last year, but also made the fourth round at the French Open in June.

“I think when I played her at the beginning of the year, I wasn’t necessarily ready for that challenge,” Navarro said of Gauff. “I know I have the level inside of me that can beat a player like her. It’s maybe just a matter of doing it on a bigger stage.”

Other women to advance to the round of 16 included Madison Keys, Paula Badosa, Donna Vekic and French Open finalist Jasmine Paolini.

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