US Open 2021 tennis - 'She's not afraid' - How Emma Raducanu 'transcends the crowd and gets them on her side'

ByDan Quarrell

Updated 06/09/2021 at 09:54 GMT

Emma Raducanu has been absolutely fearless in producing another impressive run at the US Open, and she is now set to face Shelby Rogers in the fouth round. But how far will the 18-year-old go? Raducanu, who also made the second week at Wimbledon earlier this summer, is yet to drop a set through six matches of qualifying and the main draw, and Mats Wilander believes she can rise to this challenge.

Emma Raducanu is back in the fourth round of a Grand Slam and Mats Wilander believes the Brit will not only be able to cope, but can thrive, against Shelby Rogers and the home crowd support the American will receive.

The 18-year-old’s remarkable run in New York continued as she downed Sara Sorribes Tormo in incredible fashion in the third round, losing just one game and playing some scintillating tennis in matching her stunning campaign at Wimbledon in the summer.

Raducanu was utterly irrepressible in completely destroying Sorribes Tormo with 23 winners hit from all over the court, and Eurosport's Mischa Zverev has described the young Brit as "fearless".

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Now fellow Eurosport expert Wilander says she can meet the challenge of going up against both Rogers, and a likely boisterous New York crowd supporting the American, in their highly-anticipated clash on Monday evening.

"I think it will change the dynamic early in the match for sure," Wilander told Eurosport regarding the potential impact of the crowd factor.

I do think Raducanu is one of those players who transcends the crowd, and she actually gets them on her side.

"Because she is pumped, she is smiling, she plays a very attractive style of tennis and she moves so smoothly out there.

"So of course they will be rooting for the American out there, Rogers, but I think there will be a lot of neutral fans who will take to Raducanu straight away.

"Rogers obviously played the match of her life in beating Ash Barty, having lost four times to her this year, and she is a good mover. She is very powerful.

"It's possible Raducanu will get overpowered at times, but I think she is so mature - which she has shown here and at Wimbledon too - and she is not afraid of that big moment, so I think she is going to do fine."

'She literally destroyed her' - Why Raducanu won't repeat Wimbledon exit

• 'She's learned a lot' - Why Raducanu won't suffer same fate
• Raducanu crushes Sorribes Tormo in third round

Raducanu is the youngest British woman to reach this stage of the US Open since Laura Robson in 2012, and she won’t mind starting as the underdog against Rogers in a role she can thrive in.

“Wimbledon taught me how physical I had to be every single match, and at the end, it was my physicality that let me down,” she said last week.

“Now having played four or five weeks, I’m still extremely fresh and new to the whole situation but I think, given the matches that I’ve played, I’ve been able to keep up a lot more physically and that’s definitely the biggest standout thing in my game now, which is going to take me far or going to limit me.”

'The real deal' - Wilander wants everyone to believe Raducanu hype

Raducanu has said she feels like her game is “just getting better with each match”, and Rogers is expecting a tough contest against the Brit as she also seeks a place in the quarter-finals.

"I’m going to have to do a little bit of scouting I think but she’s fearless," said the American after her shock win over Barty.

"She is playing very well and she’s inspired. It’s really cool to see the younger generation coming up in this tournament, getting some big wins. It’s impressive and it’s going to be a battle."

If Raducanu gets past Rogers then the draw only gets tougher, with 11th seed Belinda Bencic or seventh seed Iga Swiatek lying in wait, but former British number one Annabel Croft believes she has the 'grit' required.

"She is so gritty for such a young player. She knows what to do tactically because she closely analyses her opponents beforehand," Croft told The Times.

"Her movement is similar to the former world number one Simona Halep in the way that she glides around the court and looks so effortless."

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