Emma Raducanu came close to a huge upset of world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the third round of the Cincinnati Open, losing out 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 7-6 (7-5) in an epic contest lasting three hours and nine minutes.
Within that, there was an incredible 23-minute game in the deciding set in which Raducanu, taken to deuce 13 times, saved four break points before finally holding serve.
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Emma Raducanu wins an epic 23-minute game against Aryna Sabalenka at the Cincinnati Open
But Sabalenka went on to claim the third-set tiebreak 7-5 with her second match point to extend her streak to 16-straight successful tiebreakers and book her passage through to the fourth round, where she’ll face Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
For Raducanu, attention now turns to the US Open and the final Grand Slam of the year – live on Sky Sports from August 24 – which the British No 1 famously won as a wild card in 2021.
Raducanu had lost her two prior meetings with Sabalenka, including a tight contest in the third round of this year’s Wimbledon which she dropped 7-6 (8-6) 6-4.
Sabalenka again took the opening set on a tiebreaker in Cincinnati, having battled back from 2-0 in the opener as Raducanu raced out of the blocks to claim the opening eight points of the match.
Sabalenka swiftly found her groove thereafter, the three-time Grand Slam champion rattling off the next four games in a row before Raducanu herself broke back to level the first set – the British star given a telling off by the umpire at one point for speaking too much to her new coach Francis Roig.
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Emma Raducanu was warned by the umpire not to speak to coach Francisco Roig during her match against Aryna Sabalenka
Sabalenka upped her level to claim yet another tiebreaker, but Raducanu responded in kind with a much-improved second set, particularly on serve.
The 22-year-old, who missed with only five of her 28 first serves for the set, earned the crucial break in the seventh game and later converted her first set point with a second-serve ace.
Another Raducanu ace at a vital moment saved the first of four Sabalenka break points in that epic 23-minute-long eighth game of the third set.
The Brit, who had earlier spurned a break point chance of her own in the third game of the decider, ultimately came through to hold but could not see off Sabalenka in the crucial deciding tiebreak.
Watch the Cincinnati Open up until August 18 before we head to the US Open in New York for qualifying and the main draw from August 24 at 3pm, live on Sky Sports or stream with NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.
