Great Britain’s Emma Raducanu, ranked 338, stuns Sorana Cirstea to reach Wimbledon’s second week

18-year-old British wild card Emma Raducanu has stunned Sorana Cirstea to reach the second week at Wimbledon.

Emma Raducanu Wimbledon

July 3, 2021

What happened: Emma Raducanu, ranked 338, has defeated Sorana Cirstea to reach the second week at Wimbledon on her Grand Slam debut, 6-3, 7-5. She is the youngest British player ever, male or female, to make it to the round of 16 at Wimbledon.
Key stat: Raducanu becomes the fourth British teenager to reach round of 16 at Wimbledon, following in the footsteps of Deborah Jevans (1979, 19y48d), Glynis Coles (1973, 19y138d) and Laura Robson (2013, 19y166d).
Key stat #2: 18-year-old Raducanu had never won a main draw match at WTA-level prior to this week at Wimbledon.
Next opponent: Ajla Tomljanovic.

Raducanu : “So overwhelmed”

“My emotions were I just couldn’t put them into words really. I was so overwhelmed. The last point, I kind of just dropped my racquet and fell to the floor. It was just also instinctive and in the moment. I had no idea what just happened.

Right now I’m on such a buzz and such a high. I have my team who are with me in the bubble. We’re sticking to the same routines. Yeah, having a really good time here.

I’m so grateful for this wild card. Honestly, I just wanted to make the most out of it, try to show that I earned it, try to make the most out of it. I’m really grateful for the All England Club’s support in taking a chance on me.

The way that I’m approaching my matches is each time I’m thinking to myself, Why not?
Emma Raducanu

And the way that I’m approaching my matches is each time I’m thinking to myself, Why not? Like today, I was like, Someone has to be in the second week, why not me (laughter)? I think that’s how I’m approaching it.

I’m just trying to stay here as long as possible. As I said, I’m just having such a blast. Everything is so well taken care of that it’s such a pleasure to be here.”

Cirstea : “I didn’t play at the level I played the last match”

“I think it wasn’t a great day for me tennis-wise. I didn’t play at the level I played the last match. All credit to her. She took her chances. I thought she played well.”

2021 WIMBLEDON LIVE UPDATES

Seeds who have won on Saturday : Angelique Kerber (20), Paola Badosa (30), Karolina Muchova (19), Cori Gauff (20), Barbora Krejcikova (14), Ashleigh Barty (1)
Seeds who lost on Saturday : Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (16)
To follow all the news of Wimbledon, visit this page
To follow the matches live, see the men’s and women’s draws, we recommend that you visit the official tournament website.
Friday’s schedule at Wimbledon is available here
And everything you need to know about the tournament (practical information, tickets, etc.) is available in this article.