Clarity, rediscovered? Emma Raducanu makes one unforced error in Cincinnati win over Serena Williams

CINCY HIGHLIGHTS: Raducanu sweeps past Serena

“Even when you were cheering for her, I was all for it,” Emma Raducanu told the Cincinnati crowd with a laugh after her 6-4, 6-0 win over Serena Williams on Tuesday night at the Western & Southern Open.

That was the right thing to say in the moment, of course. The full house was thoroughly behind their legendary countrywoman—in a politely midwestern way, naturally—and they wouldn’t have wanted to hear anything less than total respect from the 19-year-old Brit who had just sent her packing in 65 lopsided minutes. But Raducanu’s words were also an insight into how she approached the match, and how effective that approach was.

She knew what she was in for, and what the evening meant. Serena was making her last appearance in Cincy, and this was her night. Rather than fight it, Raducanu embraced the chance to be a part of it, even if she wasn’t the star of the show—even if she had to play the villain. She claimed that when she saw her draw, she was excited, and that the chance to play Serena was a “gift.” That also may sound like the right thing to say in the moment, but Raducanu backed it up by playing some of the most positive, confident, and controlled tennis of her season.

The stat of the match was a jaw-dropper: Raducanu made one unforced error. She kept the ball coming back, and she kept changing directions with it and forcing Serena to move. The Brit didn’t blast the ball or aim close to the lines, but she hit it aggressively and with margin—the classic winning combination—and that was more than good enough. Whenever Serena gave her a look at a forehand, Raducanu made the most of it

“I was nervous from the first point to the last point,” Raducanu admitted. “I’m just so happy I could keep my composure.”

While the teenager could do no wrong, the 40-year-old Williams struggled to find any rhythm. She started with two unforced errors off the bat, was broken at love in her opening service game, and sent a forehand flying long to go down 1-4. She got better for about half an hour, finding some semblance of her range from the ground, and eventually hitting seven aces. But Raducanu made her hit balls, and made her move, and the errors eventually came from Serena’s racquet. She kept trying, and the crowd kept cheering, but she couldn’t muster a game in the second set. On match point, she couldn’t catch up to a Raducanu second serve.

Serena will move on to her final tournament, at the US Open, and hopefully will be ready to do more there. She’ll also hope not to run into an opponent who makes just one error. Speaking of the Open, by the end of this match Raducanu was playing with the same kind of clarity that took her to the title in New York last year. Maybe a match with the GOAT, and a little of that big-stage atmosphere that she loves, was just what she needed.