Raducanu Rolls Into US Open Third Round – Tennis Now
By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, August 27, 2025
Photo credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty
NEW YORK—Emma Raducanu celebrated her US Open first-round win hitting the practice court.
Today, Raducanu hit all the right notes on serve rolling into the US Open third round with a 6-2, 6-1 dismissal of Indonesian qualifier Janice Tjen.
This was one of Raducanu’s sharpest serving matches of the season.
Dotting all areas of the service box, Raducanu served nearly 80 percent, pumped eight aces against no double faults and saved all three break points she faced to power into the US Open third round for the first time since her inspired run to the 2021 Flushing Meadows championship.
That year, Raducanu made history as the first qualifier—man or woman—to play through qualifying and capture a Grand Slam singles championship.
Today, Raducanu exuded a relaxed intensity on Louis Armstrong Stadium, site of her first-round win over Ena Shibahara, as she tore through seven straight games.
“I’m particularly happy, because on the court, I felt like my opponent was playing really good tennis,” Raducanu said. “I thought that she was very dangerous and any ball that I put midcourt was going to be punished.
“So I’m very pleased with how I kept dictating the points, I kept dictating the play, and didn’t let her too often get her front foot on the court. She’s obviously been play very well, done a lot of winning, and took out Veronika [Kudermetova] in the first round. Of course I was on full alert playing today. Yeah, I’m just
very pleased with that performance.”
The only true obstacle in a clean conquest came when Raducanu briefly paused play apparently feeling pain in her back.
“I just had a little bit of stiffness in the second set,” Raducanu said. “I think I have been doing a lot of training, and I’m just happy it didn’t affect me too much in the second set and I was still able to compete and to perform well and keep putting out good serves, good returns. I think it didn’t really come into the match too much, which I’m happy with.”
Tjen owns a fine topspin forehand, but her backhand is a vulnerability. Today, Raducanu frequently started her attack targeting her opponent’s stronger forehand wing before going heavy and hard into the backhand forcing Tjen to strike her weaker wing on the move.
It was a comprehensive one-hour triumph for Raducanu, who reached a double milestone. This marks the first time she’s reached the third round of three different Slams in the same season and she scored her 26th victory of the year, her highest-ever single-season victory output.
The road to the second week could come with a massive obstacle.
If Elena Rybakina prevails later today, Raducanu would face the powerful No. 9 seed in a clash of former Grand Slam champions.
The 2022 Wimbledon winner Rybakina is set to face Czech qualifier Tereza Valentova. Rybakina knocked off world No. 1 Aryna Sabalanka in Cincinnati earlier this month a few rounds after Raducanu tested the reigning US Open champion in a tense three-hour Cincinnati thriller.
“I think she’s a top opponent. She’s won Wimbledon. She’s been at the top of the game for so long and very dominant and has big weapons, has a huge serve and big groundstrokes,” Raducanu said. “So I
do want to see how my game suits and fits against the top. I still think I have a long way to go, but I think I have been making steps towards getting closer and narrowing that gap.
“I think I have to take confidence from my matches against Aryna in Cincy and Wimby. But Elena is a different opponent. She beat Aryna in Cincy in straight sets. It’s going to be a tough match if she wins
today. But yeah, we’ll see on the result.”
