Reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu polished her pedigree as she crushed Serena Williams 6-4, 6-0 to send the American icon home from the Cincinnati Masters.
The 19-year-old Londoner who has yet to achieve the full potential of her surprise New York title success last September, needed 65 minutes to hammer home her win over her 23-time Grand Slam champion opponent.
Raducanu broke in the opening game of each set and ran off a 4-1 lead in the opener. The second was a rout, with two-time tournament winner Williams unable to make an impression on play.
The 40-year-old Williams is due to hang up her racquet sometime after the US Open. She was playing only her fourth match of the season after starting at Wimbledon.
Raducanu won her 14th match from 31 played since her US Open triumph.
The 10th-seeded youngster said she was honoured to be on the court: “We all need to honour Serena and her amazing career.” she said,
“I’m so grateful for the experience of playing her and for the fact that our careers have crossed.
“All she has achieved is inspirational. It’s a true honour to share the court with her.”
Raducanu committed a single unforced error in the opening set compared to a dozen for Williams.
“I was nervous from the first point to the last,” Raducanu said. “Serena is dangerous and can come back from any situation.
“I had to stay focused , I’m so pleased I managed to keep my composure.”
Williams won the title here in 2014 and 2015.
Main photo:- Emma Raducanu trounces 23 time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams in just over an hour – courtesy Amazon Prime
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