US Open: Emma Raducanu into third round after 4 years, 5th seed Draper withdraws

Emma Raducanu produced a commanding performance in the second round of the US Open women’s singles, cruising past Indonesian qualifier Janice Tjen 6-2, 6-1 to book her place in the third round.

The British star needed just an hour to wrap up her victory, delivering her quickest win at a Grand Slam. Despite the scoreline, Raducanu acknowledged the threat posed by Tjen, who had stunned 13th seed Veronika Kudermetova in the opening round.

This marks the first time since her sensational 2021 title run that Raducanu has progressed this deep into the tournament. Following her breakthrough four years ago, she had exited in the first round in both 2022 and 2024, while missing out entirely in 2023 due to injury setbacks.

“I’m very pleased with how I played today. Janice is a super dangerous opponent, and I thought any ball that I put that wasn’t good enough, she just put away,” Raducanu said after the match. “She is playing some really dangerous tennis and beat one of the top seeds in the first round. I’m sure she can build and take a lot of confidence from this. I’m looking forward to the next time I play her.”

Raducanu wasted no time asserting her dominance. She broke in her opening return game, then held serve after fending off three break points to establish an early 3-0 lead. Her aggressive shots and reliable serve kept Tjen pinned behind the baseline, as the Briton closed out the first set with authority.

The second set followed a similar script. Raducanu broke twice to open up another decisive advantage and never looked back, finishing the match with 16 winners, eight aces, and not a single double fault. It was the kind of performance that suggested she is regaining the sharpness that powered her historic title three years ago.

Raducanu will next face either Czech teenager Tereza Valentova or 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in what promises to be a far sterner test.

Elsewhere, Emma Navarro mirrored Raducanu’s scoreline by defeating Caty McNally 6-2, 6-1, while former world number one Victoria Azarenka moved through with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Meanwhile, in the men’s singles, British number one Jack Draper has officially withdrawn due to injury, handing Belgium’s Zizou Bergs a walkover into the third round.