Tennis sensation Emma Raducanu has left fans gobsmacked with a stunner of a shot that’s already being hailed as the shot of the tournament at Wimbledon.
The 21-year-old ace cruised past Renata Zarazua with a 7-6, 6-3 victory to advance in the competition. It was a sweet moment for Raducanu, who had been itching for a win at Wimbledon after an injury sidelined her last year. Initially set to take on world number 22 Ekaterina Alexandrova, Raducanu had to switch gears when the Russian pulled out sick, pitting her against the 98th-ranked Zarazua.
Despite the last-minute opponent swap, Raducanu dazzled the Centre Court crowd, particularly with a jaw-dropping shot towards the end of the match. After Zarazua appeared to have nailed a drop shot, Raducanu sprinted forward and whipped a perfect response across the court.
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The BBC broadcast team couldn’t contain their excitement, with the commentator exclaiming: “Well, if that’s the penultimate point of the match it might be the best point of the match.”
He shared the mic with former British number one Jo Konta, who chuckled and said: “I’m laughing here because finally she was able to use her hand skills.”
Raducanu wowed the crowd on Centre Court and also impressed fans on social media with her performance. Twitter was lit up with praise, with one fan gushing: “What was that from Emma Raducanu? One of the shots of the tournament.”
Another tennis fan tweeted: “What a cross-court shot from Raducanu. 3 match points,” while a third exclaimed, “Emma Raducanu WHAT. A. SHOT.”
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(Image: Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)
Their appreciation was shared by a fourth tennis fan, who posted “What a shot Emma Raducanu! Looked good out there today!” One viewer compared Raducanu to the action on offer at the Euros: “Got the Tennis on my laptop and the football on the TV – that shot from Raducanu to give herself three match points was better than anything I’ve seen in the football game.”
Following her match, Raducanu shared that she could see similarities between herself and Gareth Southgate’s England side. The Three Lions edged past Slovakia to reach the quarter-finals, with the tennis star drawing parallels to her win in SW19.
“I was nervous, I think everyone could see that in my tennis, but at the end of the day you have to do whatever it takes to get over the line,” Raducanu admitted. “Honestly, watching the football last night, it was winning ugly it all counts.”
Looking forward, Raducanu is set to face off against Belgian star Elise Mertens on Wednesday, hoping to progress beyond the second round for the first time since her breakthrough year in 2021.