Emma Raducanu would not be rushed in the heat of battle as the US Open winner set a longevity record with a 7-6(5), 7-6(4) defeat of Camila Osorio which took just under three hours on court in Washington.
The two-hour, 50-minute victory – longest two-set match of the WTA season – puts the second-seeded British winner into the quarter-finals of the US Open run-up event.
The match was played in brutal heat conditions, with medical timeouts for both players in a contest which featured more than 100 combined unforced errors.
“Honestly three hours in that condition, I think that I probably played (in similar conditions) in Landisville, Pennsylvania, last year,” Raducanu said.
“There it was probably worse conditions, but I wasn’t out there for three hours (like) today.
“This has got to be one of the most physical matches I’ve ever played.”
Raducanu will bid for the last eight on Friday in a first-time meeting against Liudmila Samsonova, a winner over Ajla Tomljanovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in two and a quarter hours.
It will be Raducanu’s third quarter-final since her US Open triumph 11 month ago.
Main photo:- Emma Raducanu winning in Washington © WTATennis.com
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