Emma Raducanu Makes ‘Hide in Hole’ Comment After Being ‘Outplayed’ by Coco Gauff in Rome
Coco Gauff registered her second win over Emma Raducanu after breezing past her in the Italian Open fourth round.
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Coco Gauff, Emma Raducanu (Image via X/Coco Gauff Fan, LTA)
Emma Raducanu was no match for Coco Gauff in the fourth round of the Italian Open. All she could win were three games.
Following the match that lasted for only 79 minutes, Raducanu said that she was not ashamed of saying that she was “outplayed” by the 2023 US Open champion. Now Raducanu’s goal is to keep playing tennis on the red dirt and build on the momentum she picked up before the French Open which starts on May 25.
I don’t want to go and hide in a hole somewhere, I want to get back out there, so that’s good. We’ll see how it goes in the next week before the French if I get into Strasbourg. But, for now, I’ve played a good 12 days on the trot, so I’m looking forward to a day off or so and then getting back to it.
Emma Raducanu said at the press conference
The Internationaux de Strasbourg is scheduled to start on 18. Last year on the clay swing, Raducanu played only two tournaments, the Stuttgart Open and the Madrid Open.
Her best performance this season came at the Miami Open where she made it to the quarterfinals, losing to eventual runner-up Jessica Pegula in three sets. Raducanu, who has not yet lifted a title since winning the 2021 US Open, registered her second consecutive defeat to Gauff in their two meetings.
Coco Gauff compares the cities of Madrid and Rome
Even Coco Gauff felt the conditions at the Italian Open were quite slow as compared to the Madrid Open. After her win over Emma Raducanu, the 21-year-old admitted that it took her some time to adjust to the surface in Rome.
It still feels so slow compared to Madrid. But I’m getting used to it with each match. I feel really happy with how I played. I think I really was the one dictating the match for the most part.
Coco Gauff told reporters after the win
Gauff has now become the youngest woman to advance to the quarterfinals in WTA 1000 clay tournaments since 2009. So far in the season, Gauff has won eight of her last nine matches on the red dirt. The only defeat she registered was against World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the Madrid Open.
Men’s World No.2 Alexander Zverev, the defending champion in Rome, who has made it to the fourth round to set up a clash with Arthur Fils, found the balls “much slower“. He said that he’s convinced that the balls were changed, finding it “very strange“.
Casper Ruud, on the other hand, found the courts in Rome are “drastically slower” than in Madrid. The two-time French Open finalist, who is also a three-time Italian Open semifinalist, said it took him some time to adapt to the surface in the Italian capital.
Coco Gauff will meet Mirra Andreeva for the fourth time in her career
After breezing past Emma Raducanu, Coco Gauff has scheduled a quarterfinal match against Mirra Andreeva, who came from a set down to beat Clara Tauson in the previous round. The match on Wednesday (May 13) will be their fourth encounter on the tour.
Gauff will also be meeting the 18-year-old for the second time this season following the Madrid Open quarterfinals, where Gauff went past her. She then knocked out World No.4 Iga Swiatek in the semifinals to reach the final and faced a straight-set defeat to Aryna Sabalenka.
Gauff holds a 3-0 head-to-head record over the Russian teenager. Before Madrid, they met in the second round of the 2023 US Open, which Gauff took home later by beating Sabalenka in the final.
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