We’re getting closer and closer to the ultimate matches of the tournament. On Wednesday, we’ll watch the final four matches of the quarterfinals and find out who will be joining Daniil Medvedev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Aryna Sabalenka, and Leylah Fernandez in the semifinals.
Check back here for updates on all the matches from Day 10 of the 2021 US Open.
Emma Raducanu cruises past Belinda Bencic
If there’s one thing that’s defined the 2021 US Open for the women, it’s the success of young phenoms against highly-seeded players. Just like Leylah Fernandez, 18-year-old Emma Raducanu made her way through qualifiers and then started destroying every single one of her opponents.
That didn’t stop on Wednesday. Raducanu defeated Belinda Bencic, the No. 10 seed and recent Olympic gold medalist, to earn her ticket to the semifinals. She won in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, and still hasn’t dropped a single set.
It was a rough start for Raducanu, but as soon as she found her feet in the first set, she was unstoppable. After Bencic went ahead 2-0, Raducanu won six of the next seven games, including five straight, to win the set in decisive fashion.
The first set also included a magnificent 20-shot rally that Raducanu ended with a beautiful forehand winner down the line.
The second set was tougher, because it looked like Bencic had rebounded and was ready to fight. She took a 2-1 lead, but continued to struggle. Raducanu played really clean tennis while Bencic had issues with unforced errors. She started showing frustration, and then resignation. She’d won just one of her five break points and couldn’t seem to get an edge on Raducanu.
Up 5-3 in the second set, Raducanu started to falter. She hit the ball into the net more than a few times, then gave Bencic a free point with a double fault. Within one game of tying the set at 5-5, it looked like Bencic was about to make a great comeback and maybe even force a tiebreak or a third set. She even had a 30-0 lead in that 10th game, but she let Raducanu climb out of that hole to win the game, set, and match.
Raducanu was ranked in the 300s by the WTA back in June. As of September 8, she’s ranked at 51. Her match against Bencic sent one clear message: underestimate her at your own risk.