IT’S MY BARTY AND I’LL FLY IF I WANT TO
Teen sensation Emma ready to face Ash’s conqueror Rogers as the draw opens up for a shock shot at glory
EMMA RADUCANU made the tennis world sit bolt upright on Saturday with her demolition of the woman who knocked World No.1 Ash Barty out of the Olympics.
Then along came home favourite Shelby Rogers to rip the headlines away from the Brit with a sensational win over the Wimbledon winner and No.1 seed at Flushing Meadows to set up a dynamite last-16 showdown with the 18-year-old British sensation today.
Make no mistake, Rogers’ defeat of Barty, coming back from 2-5 down in the decider, has thrown the doors of the US Open wide open and Raducanu, who has yet to drop a set, is capable of barging right through.
Her confidence is sky-high after her 6-0 6-1 defeat of Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo that was as emphatic as the scoreline suggests.
Barty would have been next up had World No.40 Rogers failed to beat her – and although the American is ranked 110 places above Raducanu, the girl from Kent, who also reached the fourth round at Wimbledon in her first Grand Slam, is not fazed.
She said: “My level of tennis here is better than at Wimbledon.
“But honestly, with the amount of matches I have played and the experience that I have accumulated in the last four, five weeks my game is just getting better with each match.
“They are completely different experiences, so you can’t really compare, but I love both of them.
“I’m excited to keep going here for as long as possible.”
Raducanu is one of three 18-year-olds blazing a trail through this tournament with fellow teens, Spaniard
Carlos Alcarez and Canadian Leylah Fernandez, having knocked out respective third seeds Stefanos Tsistipas and Naomi Osaka.
And she admits her peers’ success is driving her on.
Raducanu said: “I think that to have so many young players coming through is just really great for the game, because it shows how strong this next generation is.
“I think that having so many young players and 18-year-olds, we all inspire each other to play better.
“I wanted to join them in the second week as well, so that was an extra bit of motivation for me.
“Both of them are very, very nice people. I’m very happy for them, and also very happy for myself that I can go into the second week.”
Her opponent Rogers is still in dreamland after the win of her career.
But having reached the quarter-finals last year, she is determined to get there again, at Raducanu’s expense.
She acknowledges, though, that she’ll have to perform at a top level to halt the Brit’s run.
She said: “I’m going to have to do a little bit of scouting, I think.
“She’s fearless. She is playing very well and she is inspired.
“It’s going to be a battle. I am ready for it.
“It’s really cool to see the younger generation coming up in this tournament, getting some big wins. It’s really impressive. I’m going to have to bring my best tennis again in a different way I think.
“That’s the cool thing about tennis, you have to adjust every single time and make a new strategy.
“We’ll prepare for that. We’ve got a day and a half to get ready and recover and try
to do it again.”