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Match details
Fixture: Emma Raducanu vs Sara Sorribes Tormo
Date: 4 September 2021
Tournament: US Open 2021
Round: Third round (Round of 32)
Venue: New York, United States
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $40,560,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Emma Raducanu vs Sara Sorribes Tormo preview
Rising star Emma Raducanu will face her first big test of the 2021 US Open when she takes on Sara Sorribes Tormo in the third round on Saturday.
Raducanu registered her fifth consecutive win in New York by beating Zhang Shuai 6-2, 6-4 in the second round on Thursday. Having entered the main draw of the US Open after successfully navigating through three qualifying rounds, the Brit is yet to drop a set at Flushing Meadows.
Raducanu was at her aggressive best against Zhang, conjuring winners from all areas of the court. She also switched direction effortlessly to keep the Chinese on her toes throughout the contest.
Raducanu won 85% of her first-serve points and broke her opponent four times. While the 18-year-old could only manage three aces, she struck an impressive 24 groundstroke winners to pile on the misery for Zhang. The fact that she committed only 11 unforced errors also helped her cause.
Needless to say, this is Raducanu's best showing at the US Open. The teenager is in fact making her New York debut in this year's edition.
Her next opponent, Sara Sorribes Tormo, has registered her best-ever Slam performance by making it to the third round this year. Sorribes Tormo had never made it past the second round of any Major in 17 previous main-draw appearances.
The Spaniard is in the middle of a breakthrough season. She won her maiden WTA title earlier in the year and has notched up close to 30 wins on tour, 27 of which have come on hardcourts.
Sorribes Tormo upset the highly rated Karolina Muchova in the first round before going on to beat the tricky Hsieh Su-Wei by a 6-1, 6-3 scoreline in the second. The 24-year-old's counterpunching style has been very effective in making her opponents uncomfortable; she managed to draw out a whopping 89 unforced errors combined from Hsieh and Muchova.
Emma Raducanu vs Sara Sorribes Tormo head-to-head
Emma Raducanu and Sara Sorribes Tormo have never faced each other on tour before, which is why their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.
Emma Raducanu vs Sara Sorribes Tormo prediction
Sara Sorribes Tormo is an extremely difficult opponent to play against given her consistency and topspin-heavy groundstrokes. The Spaniard generates a massive amount of bounce on her shots, making it tough for her opponents to free their arms.
Emma Raducanu will need to throw Sorribes Tormo off balance by playing close to or inside the baseline and taking her returns on the rise. Raducanu can create sharp angles off both wings, and she would need to do that liberally against the Spaniard.
However, the Brit's inexperience suggests she might not be able to consistently find answers against a player of Sorribes Tormo's style and caliber.
Prediction: Sara Sorribes Tormo to win in straight sets.
