Emma Raducanu beaten 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 by world No 1 and defending champion Iga Swiatek in quarter-finals of Porsche Tennis Grand Prix; Raducanu's two wins in Stuttgart take her just outside top 200 in rankings - watch semi-finals and final this weekend on Sky Sports
Saturday 20 April 2024 07:29, UK
Emma Raducanu's four-match winning streak was ended by Iga Swiatek at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix as she fell to a valiant defeat to the defending champion in the quarter-finals.
Raducanu had earned straight-sets wins over Angelique Kerber and Linda Noskova across the first two rounds, following two victories last week in Great Britain's Billie Jean King Cup clash with France.
The 21-year-old impressed against world No 1 Swiatek during a 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 loss, breaking in the first game of the match having been 40-0 down, and it was only in the first-set tie-break when she was outmuscled.
The Pole then broke Raducanu in the first game of the second set and engineered further break points in the Briton's next two service games that she was unable to convert as her opponent dug deep.
However, Swiatek went on to clinch victory with a second break in the ninth game to set up a Saturday semi-final with fourth seed Elena Rybakina as she chases a third consecutive title in Stuttgart after beating Aryna Sabalenka in the previous two finals.
Raducanu's two wins in Stuttgart have propelled her to just outside the world's top 200 as she continues her comeback from ankle and wrist surgery last year, operations that led to the 2021 US Open champion spending eight months on the sidelines.
The way she matched Swiatek at times, and how she dispatched former world No 1 Kerber and this year's Australian Open quarter-finalist Noskova earlier in the tournament, bodes well.
Swiatek, who took her head-to-head record against Raducanu to 3-0, said afterwards: "It was a pretty intense match.
"I was happy that I was able to keep the intensity even though we played some tough games for like two hours.
"It wasn't easy. I had a lot of break points which I didn't convert so still I'm happy that I could finish it with a better score in the second set than in the first.
"There are a lot of factors coming in if you want to stay consistently at the top but I hope [Raducanu] will be able to do it. For sure she has the game but it's not easy."
Swiatek also beat Raducanu in the quarter-finals in Stuttgart in 2022 and in the last 16 at Indian Wells last year.
Sky Sports' Raz Mirza:
"What an incredible couple of weeks for Raducanu on the red dirt. After her heroics in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers, she came to Stuttgart feeling like a Grand Slam champion again.
"Her coach Nick Cavaday has helped instil an enormous amount of belief in her game and her confidence is sky-high but who knew she could play this well on clay, especially against world No 1 Swiatek
"She made Swiatek work her work her socks off for a touch over two hours. Not many players can claim to have done that over the past few years so is Raducanu a French Open contender?
"The slower pace and bounce of the courts have favoured her, but the real test will come outdoors as they head to Madrid, Rome and then Roland Garros. An interesting four weeks lie ahead."
Elsewhere, Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova came from a set down to beat Sabalenka 3-6 6-3 7-5 and will now face Marta Kostyuk in the semi-finals.
Sabalenka was aiming to reach a fourth consecutive final in Stuttgart but made 48 unforced errors and converted just six of her 15 break points.
The Belarusian has not gone beyond the quarter-finals in any event since winning the Australian Open for the second straight year in January.
Kostyuk came through an epic against world No 3 Coco Gauff, finally converting her eighth match point to win 3-6 6-4 7-6 (8-6), while Rybakina defeated Jasmine Paolini 6-3 5-7 6-3 to advance.
Sky Sports will broadcast more live tennis than anywhere else in 2024, including on its dedicated tennis channel, bringing over 4,000 matches from more than 80 tournaments a year on the ATP and WTA Tours, plus full coverage of the US Open exclusively live.
Non-Sky subscribers can stream live matches contract-free with a NOW Sports Day or Month Membership.
Fans will also be able to follow their favourite players and gain deeper insights from both Tours via Sky Sports News, the Sky Sports App and skysports.com as well as via Sky Sports' social channels.
Stream Sky Sports live with no contract on a Month or Day membership on NOW. Instant access to live action from the Premier League and EFL, plus darts, cricket, tennis, golf and so much more.
You can now receive messages and alerts for the latest breaking sports news, analysis, in-depth features and videos from our dedicated WhatsApp channel. Find out more here...
