Raducanu stuns No. 2 seed Pegula at Rothesay International

EASTBOURNE, England: In a thrilling match at the Rothesay International in Eastbourne, England, home-country favorite Emma Raducanu shocked the tennis world by defeating No. 2 seed Jessica Pegula. The match, held on Wednesday, saw Raducanu prevail with a score of 4-6, 7-6 (6), 7-5, marking her first career victory over a top 10 player.

Raducanu, who gained international fame by winning the 2021 U.S. Open, displayed remarkable resilience against Pegula, who is currently ranked No. 5 in the world and recently claimed the championship on the grass courts in Berlin. The intense battle lasted two hours and 42 minutes, with both players struggling to maintain control of their serves. Pegula managed to score on 63 percent of her first serves, while Raducanu fared slightly better at 66 percent. Each player broke serve six times, but the defining moment came during the second-set tiebreaker. Down 6-5 and facing match point, Raducanu saved the point and ultimately took the set, swinging the momentum in her favor.

Raducanu’s victory advances her to the quarterfinals, a significant achievement on her home turf. The tournament saw other surprises as well, with Latvia’s fifth seed Jelena Ostapenko being upset by Great Britain’s Katie Boulter in a 6-4, 7-5 victory.

Among the other winners were Italy’s No. 3 seed Jasmine Paolini, who led 5-2 when Belgium’s Elise Mertens retired, and No. 4 seed Madison Keys. Additionally, sixth-seeded Russian Daria Kasatkina, unseeded Leylah Fernandez of Canada, Brit Harriet Dart, and Czech Karolina Muchova also progressed to the next round.(Reuters)