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Emma Raducanu will lock horns with World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships for a place in the fourth round of the grass Major. After setting up the third-round clash against the Belarusian, the Brit spoke up about what she has to do to have a shot at victory.
On Wednesday, July 2, Sabalenka and Raducanu played their respective second-round matches at SW19. The Belarusian's match took place first, and it concluded with a straight-set win for her over Marie Bouzkova. Later, the Brit ousted 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova to set up a potentially thrilling contest against Sabalenka in the third round.
At a post-match press conference following her win over Vondrousova, Emma Raducanu suggested that she would use cautious, controlled aggression against Aryna Sabalenka.
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"I definitely think playing Aryna, she's No. 1 in the world for a reason. You can't really do nothing or give nothing balls to her. I'm going to have to be aggressive but pick my moments and not be overly (aggressive). I think you can fall into that trap, too. I don't think I'm going to go out there and out-power her, like size-wise and power-wise," Raducanu said.
The 2021 US Open women's singles champion went on to cite a need for her to be creative against the reigning No. 1 and three-time Major winner as well.
"I think I'm going to have to try and be creative as well. I know it's going to be a massive challenge. I'm going to have to play some really good tennis. You want to play the best. You are going to have to play them at some point if you want to win one of these tournaments. Even though it's early in the tournament, I'm looking forward to the opportunity," she added.
Aryna Sabalenka and Emma Raducanu's only previous meeting went Belarusian's way
The world got its first taste of an Aryna Sabalenka vs Emma Raducanu clash at the 2024 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Here, the Belarusian and the Brit faced each other in the third round.
On the day, Raducanu tried her best to go toe-to-toe with Sabalenka. However, ultimately, the Belarusian overpowered the Brit. In the aftermath of the result, Sabalenka praised Raducanu, saying:
"It was a tough match, she played unbelievable tennis and I am super happy with the level today and I’m super happy to get through."
The winner of the match between Emma Raducanu and Aryna Sabalenka will go on to face either Elise Mertens or Elina Svitolina in the fourth round of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships.
