Washington Open: Kalinskaya last to reach last four after Raducanu, Rybaklina and L. Fernandez

Emma Raducanu reached a significant milestone in her comeback by advancing to the semifinals of the Washington WTA 500 tournament with a hard-fought 6-4, 7-5 victory over Maria Sakkari on Friday. This is Raducanu’s first tour-level semifinal since June 2024, highlighting her steady return to form after a challenging period of injuries and inconsistency.

The 22-year-old British player, ranked No. 46 in the world, battled sweltering conditions with temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) and showed remarkable resilience. Raducanu dropped serve early in both sets and faced a 5-2 deficit in the second, but responded by winning five consecutive games to close out the match in just over an hour.

Raducanu : “A lot confidence”

Sakkari, celebrating her 30th birthday, started strong, breaking Raducanu’s serve to take an early lead in the first set and later surged ahead 4-2 in the second. However, Raducanu’s fighting spirit prevailed as she recovered and sealed the win, breaking serve three times over the match.

After the match, Raducanu said : “I’ve gained a lot of confidence since Miami, and I’m really happy with this result despite the challenging conditions. It’s a real physical test here this week.” She also received some medical attention for elevated heart rate but kept her composure to secure the important victory.

Raducanu will face either Anna Kalinskaya or fourth seed Clara Tauson in the semifinals, both of whom also won their quarterfinal matches on Friday. Kalinskaya caused an upset by defeating fourth seed Tauson 6-3, 7-5 in a match under similar taxing conditions.

Leylah Fernandez continued her solid season by overcoming a qualifier 6-4, 7-6(4) in a detailed quarterfinal encounter. Fernandez, looking to find consistency, kept her composure in a tense tiebreak to secure a rare semifinal appearance in 2025.

Washington WTA 500, other last eight results (William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center, hard, USD 1.282.951, most recent results first):

• Elena Rybakina (3) beat Magdalena Frech (5): 6-3, 6-3
• Leylah Fernandez beat Taylor Townsend (Q): 6-4, 7-6 (4)
• Emma Raducanu beat Maria Sakkari (WC): 6-4, 7-5
• Anna Kalinskaya beat Clara Tauson (4): 6-3, 7-5