EMMA RADUCANU ADVANCES TO MIAMI OPEN LAST 16 AFTER STRONG PERFORMANCE AGAINST MCCARTNEY KESSLER

Emma Raducanu played really well at the Miami Open, forcing McCartney Kessler to quit during the second set. Raducanu was winning 6-1, 3-0 when Kessler called for medical help and then stopped playing because of a lower back injury.

Raducanu had already impressed earlier by beating Emma Navarro, a top-10 player, for the first time in her career. With this win, she reached the last 16 and will face either Mirra Andreeva or Amanda Anisimova.

After the match, Raducanu said she felt more relaxed this week and even played a quick game of spike ball with her team just before her match. She believes playing her best tennis happens when she’s being herself and having fun. She mentioned that her movement, defense, and returns are getting better, and she hopes to keep improving for more stable performances.

Raducanu was happy with her focus during the match, saying it’s an important part of tennis. She also felt proud of the work she and her team have been putting in. She has been training hard with fitness trainer Yutaka Nakamura and is glad to stay injury-free after dealing with health issues in the past.

Raducanu added that she feels more confident reaching difficult shots and is learning to do more with the ball when she gets there. She’s excited to keep playing, even though she expects to be the underdog in her next match. Her performance against Kessler was strong, and she seemed to control the match from start to finish.