Raducanu closes in on top 100 spot

Young Brit Emma Raducanu eased into the US Open third round with another sparkling display to beat the experienced Zhang Shuai 6-2, 6-4.

The 18-year-old will face Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo in the third round, but this performance was almost faultless.

She made a number of unforced errors on her opponent to dominate the match, even when Zhang forced a comeback at 4-0 down in the second set.

After coming through as a qualifier Raducanu is up to a provisional ranking of 116, a rise of 34 places, and she could break into the top 100 if she were to beat Tormo.

“I’ve had five matches here in New York, so I feel very comfortable with the conditions and the courts,” Raducanu said.

“I’m getting more and more used to it and each round I feel I’m going for my shots more, and today I think that was evident. I think I’ve come a very long way since my first qualifying match here, but also since the first tournament of this trip five weeks ago.

“Playing at the tour level for so many weeks in a row definitely builds your confidence and I’ve been fortunate enough to win quite a few matches.”

Former British No.1 Tim Henman told Amazon Prime he was very impressed with her performance.

“The quality of her tennis was faultless,” Henman said.

“Irrespective of what happens for the rest of this tournament, we are going to be watching Emma Raducanu at the top of the game for a long time to come.”