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Emma Raducanu finding her game just in time for Grand Slam defense: "It feels really good"

Raducanu, who was 11-14 for the season entering Cincinnati, says she was taking a more assertive approach this week than she has since her surprise victory at the 2021 US Open.

ByKamakshi Tandon

Published Aug 19, 2022

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WATCH: Emma Raducanu speaks with the media after her 2022 Cincinnati third round loss.

Emma Raducanu is finding her game again, right in time for the US Open.

The 19-year-old from Great Britain exited in the third round of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati to No. 8 Jessica Pegula, but also picked up two dominant back-to-back wins against Grand Slam champions Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka.

Raducanu, who was 11-14 for the season entering Cincinnati, says she was taking a more assertive approach this week than she has since her surprise victory at the 2021 US Open.

"Yeah, I think that at the US Open, I played—yeah, I played really good tennis,” she said. “You know, I was swinging with the freedom that I started to tap into this week.

“And I did really enjoy this week… If I made an error, it was almost like a positive thing. Like, good, you are kind of going for it. It paid off a lot more than it didn't."

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Raducanu is poised to climb back to No. 11 in the rankings after her third-round run in Cincinnati.

Raducanu is poised to climb back to No. 11 in the rankings after her third-round run in Cincinnati. 

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That is a positive sign for the teenager as she gears up to defend her title at Flushing Meadows, and all the pressure and attention that will come with it.

"I think that it is definitely relieving, because I feel like I'm swinging with the same sort of freedom as I probably had,” she said. “So it feels really good. I think that I can really take it as a positive week.”

And despite few wins and being hampered by illness and injury since her run, Raducanu says she's gained valuable experience in her first full season on tour and is still developing her game and endurance.

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"But I also think, like honestly, that my opponents have been playing a lot better this year,” she said. “And I'm rewatching my matches from the US Open, and there are certain moments where I was given a lot of gifts, or maybe they got a bit tight, or, you know, something like that.

“So I think I have improved, actually, as a player.”

There is no obvious favorite in the women's field going into the US Open.

Raducanu will climb back to No. 11 in the rankings on Monday.