Weeks 12 & 13 - WTA1000 - Miami, USA - Hard

Peter too · Tennis legend

Weeks 12 & 13 - WTA1000 - Miami, USA - Hard

dodrade · Futures qualifying

Rich2310 wrote:
This is cracking stuff from Emma. Just like when she won the US Open. Where did this suddenly come from? Good to see.

I suspect Mark Petchey has a lot to do with it but with his job at the Tennis Channel how often would they be able to work as closely as they have this week?

HarryGem · Club Coach

Peter too wrote:
R4: Emma Raducanu (GBR) WR60 def Amanda Anisomova (USA) [17] WR17 6-1 6-3

QF: Emma Raducanu (GBR) WR60 v Jessica Pegula [4] WR4
They met in Cincinnati in 2022 with Pegula winning 5 & 4. They met in Eastbourne in 2024 with Emma winning in three.

Some really great tennis from Emma. However, it has been a difficult tournament to really gauge her level. It looks to be pretty good but she's really only been tested once, by Navarro who perhaps should have won. First round, weak opponent, third round injured opponent and last night played against someone with a terrible attitude in the first set and who was a little bit better in the second but who basically couldn't keep the ball in play and who had had to play a long tough match the night before.

Of course you can only beat the player on the other side of the net and Emma has done a comprehensive demolition job in the last two rounds. One of the big plusses for me is that she actually seems to be enjoying playing right now which must be helping her.

Pegula will be a lot tougher. I see her as a rather better version of Navarro. I don't see Pegula being able to hit Emma off court but she's not going to give her a lot of free points either. Pegula probably isn't playing her best right now so Emma has a chance but will need to serve really well and really get after the Pegula serve to have a chance. Could well be a very interesting match.

Really great to see Emma winning again.

Chris · Junior player

Going off track but dont know where else to put it. Doe anyone know what happened to Matilda Mutavdzic ?

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

dodrade wrote:
Rich2310 wrote:
This is cracking stuff from Emma. Just like when she won the US Open. Where did this suddenly come from? Good to see.
I suspect Mark Petchey has a lot to do with it but with his job at the Tennis Channel how often would they be able to work as closely as they have this week?

It may well be connected to Mark, and obviously Emma takes the most credit, but I attribute a lot of the uptick to Platenik - she was playing horrible defensive tennis with poor footwork - he comes along - intensive 9 days - says they completely reset the framework - and now she's playing for more freeflowing tennis and moving a bit better

Don't know re Matilda, Chris, but last I heard she was at university - in Europe, I believe

And agree with everything you've said re Emma, HarryG - tricky to guage the level exactly, given the opponents, but really wonderful to see the wins

-- Edited by Coup Droit on Tuesday 25th of March 2025 07:38:39 AM

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Whilst v pleased to see Emma performing so much better, I am not convinced yet re Platenik and his actual influence - I get what CD says, but what doesnt make sense is why, after one match against a relatively benign opponent, did Emma sack him? I can understand maybe he was too intense for her, but if she took so much away from their week long interaction?

I guess I just dont get what has actually happened!

Jan · Hall of fame

Julia Carrot wrote:
Jan wrote:
Well done Emma!
Sadly I wasn't able to find a way to watch. Hopefully some highlights somewhere!
Tennis forum will upload the whole match in the player forum (Emmas Empire) (I recently discovered) pretty swiftly with luck

It's not up just yet but will be here https://www.tennisforum.com/threads/full-emma-raducanu-matches-r3-miami-vs-m-kessler-latest-upload.1387376/

-- Edited by Julia Carrot on Monday 24th of March 2025 08:34:35 PM

Ooh thanks!!

Julia Carrot · All-time great

Jan wrote:
Julia Carrot wrote:
Jan wrote:
Well done Emma!
Sadly I wasn't able to find a way to watch. Hopefully some highlights somewhere!
Tennis forum will upload the whole match in the player forum (Emmas Empire) (I recently discovered) pretty swiftly with luck

It's not up just yet but will be here https://www.tennisforum.com/threads/full-emma-raducanu-matches-r3-miami-vs-m-kessler-latest-upload.1387376/

-- Edited by Julia Carrot on Monday 24th of March 2025 08:34:35 PM
Ooh thanks!!

It's there now. Enjoy.

indiana · Tennis legend

Emma has the day off, not in action until Wednesday. Just the top half women's QFs today.

QFs :

(1) Sabakenka vs (9) Qinwen Zheng

Linette vs (6) Paolini

Raducanu vs (4) Pegula

(WC) Eala vs (2) Swiatek

Linette beat Gauff 4 & 4. And after Eala's wins over Ostapenko and Keys, she got a w/o win vs Badosa.

9vicman · Satellite level

Coup Droit wrote:
9vicman wrote:
I haven't seen more than a few highlights, but it seems while Emma has been playing well (and particularly gutsy against Navarro), her last two opponents have been really struggling physically. That was really tough scheduling for Anisimova.

How well HAS Emma been playing?
Difficult to say....
What she did well in both matches was start strong
Now, she - IMO - quite often does that, in the first couple of games, and then falters as it all starts going a bit south
But both these times, she kept her head down and stayed strong - and then it really snuffed out all hope from her opponents and they 'played injured'
So, yes, they both seem hampered, they both played poorly - BUT I think that was partly because Emma had been SO in their face. Also, Mandy today played a better second set so she can't have been too badly affected by her wrist/hands/both.

Thanks Peter too/CD. For the third successive match, I'm going to say THIS will be a tougher match. Maybe I can jinx Pegula like I did Kessler and Anisimova. Emma's had a really tough draw, but not as tough as I thought it was going to be. But if any event's going to give her confidence, this should be it.

dodrade · Futures qualifying

HarryGem wrote:
Peter too wrote:
R4: Emma Raducanu (GBR) WR60 def Amanda Anisomova (USA) [17] WR17 6-1 6-3

QF: Emma Raducanu (GBR) WR60 v Jessica Pegula [4] WR4
They met in Cincinnati in 2022 with Pegula winning 5 & 4. They met in Eastbourne in 2024 with Emma winning in three.
Some really great tennis from Emma. However, it has been a difficult tournament to really gauge her level. It looks to be pretty good but she's really only been tested once, by Navarro who perhaps should have won. First round, weak opponent, third round injured opponent and last night played against someone with a terrible attitude in the first set and who was a little bit better in the second but who basically couldn't keep the ball in play and who had had to play a long tough match the night before.
Of course you can only beat the player on the other side of the net and Emma has done a comprehensive demolition job in the last two rounds. One of the big plusses for me is that she actually seems to be enjoying playing right now which must be helping her.
Pegula will be a lot tougher. I see her as a rather better version of Navarro. I don't see Pegula being able to hit Emma off court but she's not going to give her a lot of free points either. Pegula probably isn't playing her best right now so Emma has a chance but will need to serve really well and really get after the Pegula serve to have a chance. Could well be a very interesting match.
Really great to see Emma winning again.

The fast courts in Miami have no doubt helped as well, it's surprising she hadn't won a match there until this year.

paulisi · Tennis legend

Emma on evening session, so 11pm start

wimbledont · Lower Club Player

www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/mar/25/in-form-emma-raducanu-finally-earning-reward-for-her-persistence

Tum Carayol's latest write-up points out that, while she hasnt got a fulltime coach, she has had a fulltime fitness trainer all year.

Peter too · Tennis legend

In a recent interview with Emma she said she has changed her routine from intense activity before a match to a fun activity such as a different sport with her team, so she is relaxed, happy and not so tired going into the match. She is also trying not to think too much during the match but just to play every ball and to let her natural game flow. She says she is trying to be intense only when she needs to be rather than trying to be switched on all the time.
So it could be a change in her attitude that is making the difference, she certainly seems to be playing more like the relaxed, innovative style she had in 2021 before she was loaded down with expectations.

Peter too · Tennis legend

The schedule for tonight is Eala v Swiatek at 5pm (UK time), then not before 7pm two mens matches and then not before 11pm Emma v Pegula. So it could be 11pm, or later if the earlier matches run on.