Emma Raducanu does it again! The British No.1 rolled into Washington DC ready to take on the hard courts after a disappointing Wimbledon exit. On Tuesday, she delivered a masterclass against Marta Kostyuk in the R32, winning in straight sets 7-6(4), 6-4. The win raised big hopes for her next match. And taking on Naomi Osaka is no walk in the park, however Emma seemed ready for the challenge!
Thursday saw the 2021 US Open champ pull out all the stops to defeat Osaka! In their first-ever tour meeting, Emma showed serious skill, cruising to a straight-set victory 6-4, 6-2. This win earned her the third quarterfinal of the season. Pretty impressive, right? Still, she tipped her hat to Naomi, acknowledging her formidable legacy.
In her on-court interview, Emma Raducanu shared a surprising take on Naomi: “I thought it was going to be a really difficult match. Naomi’s—you know—she’s won four slams, she’s been world No.1, and won masters, and she is so dangerous. On the hard courts, I think she’s particularly comfortable, so I knew that I would have to play very well and manage my own service games, which I’m proud of how I did.” That’s definitely something to be proud of! But what makes this extra interesting is Naomi’s comments about Emma before they faced off!
Emma Raducanu on beating Osaka in Washington
“I felt it was going to be a really difficult match. Naomi’s won 4 Slams, been #1, won Masters, she’s so dangerous. On hard courts she’s particularly comfortable. I knew I was gonna have to play really well”
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 24, 2025
Before the match, Naomi chatted with tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg on Bounces about how she and Emma compare. Both Grand Slam champs, so the question seemed fitting! But Naomi was a bit more straightforward, “I won my second slam after I won my first slam.” Could it be a subtle dig at Raducanu’s lack of titles since her US Open win? Only she could answer that! Additionally, they haven’t crossed paths before or spoken about each other, this sure is a surprising twist.
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