Subham Poddar
Emma Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, was the last British woman in the singles draw at Eastbourne, but her run ended with a 6-2, 6-2 loss to fourth seed Daria Kasatkina. Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart also exited in the quarter-finals. Despite these setbacks, British hopes remain alive in the men’s draw, thanks to Billy Harris’ impressive win over Flavio Cobolli.
Raducanu, who had just earned her first top 10 win by defeating Jessica Pegula, faced a tough match against Kasatkina. Although she lost in straight sets, Raducanu remains positive about her form and readiness for Wimbledon. “I should be very confident,” Raducanu said. “I feel like I have every right to be in this position because I’ve been training hard. I’m looking forward to Wimbledon and happy to be back in London.”
This grass-court season has seen Raducanu reach her first semi-final of the year in Nottingham and perform well in Eastbourne. However, Kasatkina proved too strong, winning in one hour and 21 minutes without losing a single point on her first serve in the opening set. Raducanu acknowledged her own shortcomings in the match, attributing the loss to her inability to adapt to the windy conditions.
Kasatkina advances to face Roland-Garros runner-up Jasmine Paolini in the semi-finals, while Leylah Fernandez will compete against fourth seed Madison Keys.
Katie Boulter, who won in Nottingham recently, reflected on her performance with optimism despite her 6-1, 7-6(0) loss to Paolini. “I’ve played some brilliant tennis recently,” Boulter said. “This is the best tennis I’ve played in my career. I’m excited for Wimbledon, being seeded for the first time.”
Harriet Dart also faced a tough match, losing 6-2, 6-1 to Fernandez. Meanwhile, Keys moved forward after Karolina Muchova withdrew due to a wrist injury.
On a brighter note for British tennis, Billy Harris reached his first Tour-level semi-final after defeating Cobolli. Harris, who recently reached the quarter-finals at Queen’s, will play Australian qualifier Max Purcell for a spot in the final.
