Emma Raducanu would not be rushed in the heat of battle as the US Open winner set a longevity record with a 7-6(5), 7-6(4) defeat of Camila Osorio which took just under three hours on court in Washington.
The two-hour, 50-minute victory – longest two-set match of the WTA season – puts the second-seeded British winner into the quarter-finals of the US Open run-up event.
The match was played in brutal heat conditions, with medical timeouts for both players in a contest which featured more than 100 combined unforced errors.
“Honestly three hours in that condition, I think that I probably played (in similar conditions) in Landisville, Pennsylvania, last year,” Raducanu said.
“There it was probably worse conditions, but I wasn’t out there for three hours (like) today.
“This has got to be one of the most physical matches I’ve ever played.”
Raducanu will bid for the last eight on Friday in a first-time meeting against Liudmila Samsonova, a winner over Ajla Tomljanovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in two and a quarter hours.
It will be Raducanu’s third quarter-final since her US Open triumph 11 month ago.
Main photo:- Emma Raducanu winning in Washington © WTATennis.com
Doping sanction victim Simona Halep has gone online to protest her own treatment by anti-doping…
Rafael Nadal lined up for what was to be the final match of his career…
Jannik Sinner took charge in front of his home crowd on Sunday, crushing ATP Finals…
Daniil Medvedev went into meltdown mode on Sunday during a highly charged 6-4, 6-3 loss, with opponent…
Jannik Sinner could well be missing from the opening European clay event of next season…
Rafael Nadal will bring down the curtain on his career next month as he plays his…