No. 1 Sabalenka charges past Raducanu in Wimbledon thriller
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka beat Emma Raducanu in a spirited Centre Court nightcap Friday to move into the Wimbledon Round of 16.
Wimbledon: Scores | Order of play | Draws
With the roof closed under darkening skies, the reigning US Open champion Sabalenka held off Raducanu 7-6(8), 6-4 in their marquee third-round matchup. Sabalenka needed exactly two hours to pull herself into the Wimbledon second week for the third time.
"It was a battle," Sabalenka said in her postmatch press conference. "She really pushed me to the limit today. I'm super happy with the win."
Sabalenka was down a break in each set before narrowly grinding out both. Sabalenka had to save one set point in the first-set tiebreak, and she was a point away from a 5-1 deficit in the second.
Even so, the world No. 1 held her nerve to keep her Wimbledon title quest alive. With the other Top 6 seeds out, Sabalenka’s path has opened up as she chases her first title at the All England Club.
"It definitely gives me a lot of energy and good feeling that I was under pressure, it was a great match, it was a great battle, and I was able to get the win," Sabalenka said. "That's why I love sport. It's all about challenging yourself. When you go through tough challenges and you get the win, it's the best feeling.
"So I'll just enjoy it tonight. Tomorrow I'm going to focus on the next one."
Mertens next up: Sabalenka will now take on someone she knows well in the Round of 16: No. 24 seed Elise Mertens of Belgium. Mertens ousted No. 14 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 6-1, 7-6(4) on No. 1 Court on Monday.
Mertens and Sabalenka were a formidable doubles team not too long ago. They paired up to win two hard-court Grand Slam doubles titles (2019 US Open and 2021 Australian Open) and both spent time at the WTA Doubles World No. 1 ranking during their partnership.
As their respective singles rankings would predict, Sabalenka has the upper hand over Mertens when they are opponents instead of teammates. Sabalenka has won their last nine meetings and leads the rivalry 10-2 overall (2-0 in 2025).
Match breakdown: Friday night's first set will be remembered for quite some time as Sabalenka needed 75 minutes to capture the one-set lead following a variety of compelling twists and turns.
Raducanu's groundstrokes were clicking as she took the early 4-2 advantage, but Sabalenka picked off three straight games to lead 5-4. Sabalenka then had seven set points in a mesmerizing 13-minute game, but Raducanu found some of her finest serves to battle through that tussle and somehow keep the set going.
Spurred on by an excited crowd, with their decibel level enhanced by the closed roof, Raducanu nearly pulled off a first-set steal when she held set point at 6-5 in the tiebreak. A nerveless Sabalenka, though, boldly swatted that away with a drop shot winner. Two points later, Sabalenka punched a volley winner to close out the first set.
"Maybe earlier in my career I would just lose it and I would just go crazy and lose that set 7-5," Sabalenka said. "But with the years, with the experience, I learned that this is not it."
Raducanu had an even bigger lead in the second set as she raced to 4-1 and had break point for 5-1. But, once again, World No. 1 Sabalenka showed why she is in that position, reeling off the next five games to earn her second victory in two meetings with former Top 10 player Raducanu.
"Maybe not in a month, but maybe a bit longer period, [Raducanu is] definitely going to get back [to the] top," Sabalenka said. "She's fighting. She's playing much better. She's more consistent. ... I'm pretty sure she's getting there."
