WASHINGTON — Emma Raducanu earned her biggest semifinal appearance since her surprising 2021 US Open title, eliminating Maria Sakkari 6-4, 7-5 on Friday to reach the last four at the D.C. Open.
On a muggy day with the temperature topping 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius), Raducanu took a medical timeout while reeling off the last five games of the match after trailing 5-2 in the second set.
“I would like to say I’m pretty good in the heat, for the most part, but I was really struggling today,” said Raducanu, who was 18 when she became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam singles trophy. “It was one of the toughest matches, conditions-wise, I have ever played in. … Those points in the second set, I was getting a bit wobbly. I’m just happy I could close it out, and it was two sets.”
Also reaching the semifinals at the WTA 500 hard-court tournament is Leylah Fernandez, the runner-up to Raducanu at Flushing Meadows four years ago. Fernandez moved on with a 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory over qualifier Taylor Townsend on Thursday.
Next for Fernandez is a matchup against 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, the highest remaining seed in the field at No. 3, or No. 5 Magdanela Frech, the player who beat Venus Williams on Thursday night.
Raducanu’s semifinal opponent Saturday will be No. 4 Clara Tauson or Anna Kalinskaya.
The first man to reach the semifinals is Corentin Moutet, a 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 winner over 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev. The match was delayed for about an hour late in the third set because of lightning in the area.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
