Emma Raducanu’s impressive run of form was halted by Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals of the Stuttgart Open on Friday. The one-time US Open champion was beaten 7-6 6-3 but will not be too disappointed with her performance despite not having quite enough in the tank to pull off a surprise victory.
Raducanu was high on confidence following wins over Linda Noskova and Angelique Kerber but Swiatek represented a huge step up in quality of opposition. The 22-year-old, approaching her 100th week at the top of the WTA rankings, ensured her quality shone through to set up a semi-final meeting with Elena Rybakina on Saturday.
It was a dream start for Raducanu, who flew out of the blocks by breaking Swiatek in the very first game of the match. Swiatek went on to deliver the perfect response by breaking back at the next opportunity, getting the job done on her third break point after being taken to deuce seven times.
A double-fault from Raducanu in the fourth game offered Swiatek the chance to break again but the Brit held firm to level the scores at two games each. Swiatek went on to fire a forehand long in search of another break, allowing Raducanu to survive with the first set finely poised at 3-3.
Both players settled into their rhythms as the match progressed, holding their respective serves to force a tiebreaker. It was Swiatek who took the initiative by rattling off the first four points before keeping Raducanu at arm’s length to claim the opening set, which lasted one hour and 10 minutes.
Swiatek turned the screw in set two with an immediate service break before a simple hold over Raducanu saw her move into a two-game lead. Raducanu took a tumble in the next game after losing her footing, prompting a collective gasp from the crowd, but she quickly signalled that she was okay to continue.
A crucial hold in the fourth game offered a fresh wave of hope for Raducanu when it looked as though Swiatek was going to break her again. She went on to win arguably the point of the match following a hard-fought rally at 4-3, but ultimately fell short in spite of her best efforts as Swiatek broke in the final game to wrap up proceedings with her first match point.
Raducanu will take comfort in the fact she pushed Swiatek hard for large parts of the contest, with the 21-year-old still getting back to her best after a hugely difficult couple of years. She will hope to keep building up steam ahead of next month’s French Open, where she will be aiming to go past the second round for the first time in her career.
