Raducanu rolls past Vondrousova, sets Wimbledon meeting with Sabalenka

Home favorite Emma Raducanu knocked out former champion Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-3 to reach the women's singles third round at the Wimbledon Championships on Wednesday.

Raducanu, 22, held the upper hand throughout, while the 2023 Wimbledon champion Vondrousova struggled with unforced errors. After wrapping up the match in 82 minutes, Raducanu set up a clash with world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who earlier defeated Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic 7-6(4), 6-4 on Center Court.

"I think that was one of the best matches I've played in a long time, which I'm very proud of," said Raducanu. "At the same time, I didn't feel like I was doing anything outrageous, which gives me a lot of confidence."

Raducanu made her Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon four years ago as a wild card and reached the last 16, capturing national attention. She then won 10 straight matches from the qualifiers to claim the US Open title later that year.

Since then, she has faced a series of injuries and challenges stemming from her rapid rise to fame. She has changed coaches frequently and has yet to add another title to her resume.

"It's a mentally really, really challenging sport," said the world No. 40. "I think for me what I've found is trying to surround yourself with good people, trying to win the day, trying to focus on the process as much as possible. It's really difficult to kind of take your joy from the results because it's so up and down. It's a roller coaster."

Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, who is set to pair with Raducanu in mixed doubles at the US Open this year, had little trouble defeating 733rd-ranked university player Oliver Tarvet 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.

But the second-seeded Spaniard praised his British opponent. "I was impressed with his level. I think he played a really good match," said Alcaraz after extending his winning streak to 20 matches. "If he keeps working hard and playing in a professional level, I think he can go far."

Meanwhile, American fifth seed Taylor Fritz survived his second five-set match in a row, edging Canadian big-hitter Gabriel Diablo 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(0), 4-6, 6-3.