Emma Raducanu’s recent surge in form on the grass is gathering momentum after she recorded her best-ever win over a player in terms of ranking at the Eastbourne International.

The 21-year-old Brit upset second seed and last week’s Berlin Open champion Jessica Pegula 4-6, 7-6 (6), 7-5, after almost three hours of play in the hot weather. It is the first time Raducanu has defeated a top 10 player on the Tour, which is a remarkable statistic for a player who won their maiden Grand Slam title two-and-a-half years ago. Against Pegula, she battled back from a set and a break down before going on to save a match point in the decisive tiebreaker. 

Raducanu’s latest milestone occurs during what is an encouraging start to her grasscourt campaign. Last week she reached the semi-finals of the Nottingham Open in what was her best result at a WTA event since September 2022. Unlike others on the Tour, she opted not to play in the French Open last month and instead underwent a training block. 

“I am pretty drained right now but I just want to say thanks to everyone again for getting me through some really difficultmoments in that match,” Raducanu said during her on-court interview. 
“It is incredibly difficult when you are playing someone so in form like Jessica. She came off the back of a great run in Berlin and no doubt she is feeling confident on the grass.
“I am really pleased with how I managed to navigate some really tough situations and I didn’t think I would be able to get myself out of it, so I would say this match is one of the more meaningful ones to me. I have been going through some stuff, so to come through has been really nice.”

The triumph makes Raducanu one of three British payers to reach the quarter-final stages in Eastbourne. Something that hasn’t happened in the tournament for 40 years. Harriet Dart beat Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-0. Meanwhile, Katie Boulter knocked out world No.13 Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 7-5. 

“It is really good healthy competition,” Raducanu commented on the trio of home victories. 
“We all see each other progressing into the next round and just want to join them – no one wants to be left behind. That is the way it should be, pushing each other, and that is definitely the case now in the men and women. We are all doing really well, especially on the grass.
“We all come alive on this surface, so I am very pleased and it is a testament to how we have been training and putting training in. Contrary to some beliefs about us I think we are all doing a pretty good job.”

Raducanu will next play Daria Kasatkina, who defeated China’s Yue Yuan 3-6, 6-4, 6-0, in her second round match. 

Emma Raducanu has no regrets about her decision to skip the French Open and now believes she is in a ‘really fit place’ ahead of Wimbledon. 

The former US Open champion opted to end her clay season earlier than other players to focus on fitness and training with her coach. Raducanu stated earlier this year that her primary focus in 2024 is on her health after undergoing a series of wrist and ankle surgeries last year which sidelined her for months. 

Raducanu will return to action this week at the Nottingham Open, which is the event where she made her WTA main draw debut back in 2021. Despite her lack of match play in recent weeks, the Brit is feeling good and relishing her return to the grass.

“Body-wise, physical-wise, I feel really healthy,” she said on Monday.
“I’ve done amazing work with my trainer over the last few months, since surgery. I’m in a really fit place. I’m healthy and just looking forward to starting playing.”

Shedding more light on her health, Raducanu says she has full confidence in her wrists and believes they are in top condition. Making her feel more at ease when playing matches on the Tour. 

“I think my wrists are actually in a better position than they ever were. So there’s zero doubt or apprehension whether I’m hitting the ball or designing my schedule,” she explained.
“It’s more about being proactive and not wanting to put yourself in any unnecessary situations. I don’t need to rush and try to win the French Open, it wasn’t my goal this year.
“I had to prioritise where I wanted to target and it was just a good block for me to get some physical work done.”

Raducanu has played seven WTA events so far this season with her best run being to the quarter-finals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, where she was beaten by world No.1 Iga Swiatek. The 21-year-old is currently ranked 209th in the world. 

At the Nottingham Open, she will play her first match on Tuesday against Japanese qualifier Ena Shibahara. 

A week after losing her fourth round match at the French Open, a government minister has confirmed that Elina Avanesyan is in the process of changing the nationality of who she plays for. 

The 21-year-old is switching her aligence from Russia to Armenia, according to Armenia’s deputy Minister of International Affairs and communication. Karen Giloyan has told the news agency Armenpress that Avanesyan will soon be representing his country. However, the tennis player has yet to comment on the matter.  Avanesyan was born in Russia but has Armenian parents.

“Elina Avanesyan will compete under the Armenian flag, but there is nothing official yet. We are waiting for her to get the citizenship of the Republic of Armenia so that everything will be official,” Giloyan told Armenpress.

Such a development would be a massive coup for the Armenian tennis federation which currently doesn’t have a player ranked inside the top 500 on either the men’s or women’s Tour. The country has a population of less than 3M. Perhaps their best-known player is Sargis Sargsian who reached the top 40 back in 2004. Others on the Tour also have Armenian heritage but don’t represent the country such as Karen Khachanov.  

Avanesyan is currently ranked 78th in the world, which is 18 places below her career high. This season, she has scored high-profile wins over Maria Sakkari at the Australian Open, Ons Jabeur in Charleston and Qinwen Zhang at the French Open. 

She has yet to play in the final of a WTA tournament.