SportsOrbit

Emma Raducanu defeated Rebecca Sramkova in straight sets to go to the Queen’s Club quarterfinals, solidifying her comeback to the British No. 1 ranking for the first time in two years. Due to Raducanu’s outstanding play, Sramkova, who was born with only one working eye, found it difficult to get into the game and lost 6-4, 6-1. After Sramkova was instrumental in removing Great Britain from the Billie Jean King Cup finals in November of last year, the Briton was seeking retribution. She defeated Raducanu’s “Boultercanu” doubles partner Katie Boulter on that particular occasion, but at Queen’s, she was left stumbling around the court and even buried her head in her hands after another shot missed. Raducanu would complete the tournament as the new British No. 1 before she had even taken to the court in the late afternoon on Thursday, thanks to Boulter’s three-set defeat against global No. 10 Diana Shnaider. When questioned about reclaiming the top rank nationwide, Raducanu said, “It’s nice, but I wouldn’t say it’s the most important thing for me.” I believe that having Katie ahead of me gave me something to chase. She will undoubtedly appreciate that with me now. Between the two of us, there is healthy competition. She wants me to succeed, and I want her to succeed. Raducanu put on a brutal show at moments, using a lethal combination of sliced long backhands and powerful top spin to surge to a 5-0 lead in the opening set. She just had an answer for everything Sramkova tried. At one point, it appeared as though Raducanu would win the opening set in less than 30 minutes, but Sramkova rallied to win four straight games as the Briton started to make mistakes, including a few outrageous mishits. Raducanu won more than 65 percent of the points in the second set and slightly more than 72 percent on her serve after taking a break off the court in between sets. Raducanu has advanced to the quarterfinals at Queen’s without dropping a set, even though she acknowledged that it was not her “cleanest” effort. Raducanu’s chances of earning a coveted seeding spot at Wimbledon would be greatly increased if she were to win her quarterfinal match. The tournament’s top 32 players are seeded to avoid seeing a top-ranked opponent in the opening rounds, but there are important points up for grabs in Berlin next week before Wimbledon’s seeds are finalized. Even though Boulter’s loss to Shnaider (2-6, 6-3, 6-2) guaranteed that she would no longer hold the position she had over the previous two years, she seemed unfazed. When questioned about the shuffle at the top, Boulter responded, “I’m very happy for her to be British No 1.” However, I believe she has been after him for some time, so it will be enjoyable for me to do so now. It’s kind of my turn now. Boulter got off to a fast start and won the first set against Ajla Tomljanovic at Queen’s in her first match of the grass court season. She then struggled in the second set but held out. It was the same story with Shnaider. Boulter won the set 6-2 by using the drop shot deftly and landing the majority of her opening serves, but she found it difficult to connect points with the same force after that. Boulter and Raducanu have both been vocal about the need for increased security at major events; in 2025, Wimbledon has pledged to increase athlete protection. The players applaud the new policy, and Raducanu says: “I think feeling safe, feeling secure is extremely important.” I believe that there is more tension when playing at home. However, I always felt really comfortable and well-protected when I played at Wimbledon. Although I’m excited to visit, I doubt I’ll notice much of a difference. After defeating a woman rated 137 spots higher than her in the first round, Heather Watson lost to world number 11 Elena Rybakina in straight sets 6-4, 6-2, in between Boulter and Raducanu’s match.