Still in sports, Emma Raducanu swept aside Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova yesterday to book her place in the quarter-finals at Queen’s and is now poised to reclaim her status as British number one for the first time in two years.
The 22-year-old Briton delivered a commanding performance on the packed Andy Murray Arena, easing past world number 41 Sramkova with a 6-4, 6-1 victory. Although she briefly faltered in the first set—losing four consecutive games while trying to close it out—Raducanu regained composure and finished strong, smiling confidently between points.
With the win, Raducanu remains the last Briton standing in what is the first women’s tournament at Queen’s since 1973, following the exits of compatriots Katie Boulter and Heather Watson in the last 16 earlier on Thursday.
Raducanu will now face Chinese top seed Zheng Qinwen in the quarter-finals. She only needed to match Boulter’s result to overtake her in the rankings, and will officially regain the British number one spot when the new rankings are released on Monday.