Emma Raducanu spoke of her pride at running world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka so close in their thrilling third-round clash at the Cincinnati Open.

The 22-year-old was edged out 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 7-6 (7-5) in an epic contest lasting three hours and nine minutes, a month on from also giving Sabalenka a scare at Wimbledon.

Sabalenka was victorious in straight sets on that occasion, 7-6 (8-6) 6-4, though the scoreline doesn’t tell the whole story of that third-round meeting.

“She’s world No 1 for a reason,” Raducanu said following her three-set defeat in their latest meeting.

“I pushed her more than I did at Wimbledon, so that’s that’s an improvement.

“Also, it was good to have this result on a hard court because it’s very different to grass, and I’ve always thought grass suits me a lot more – and I still believe that.

“So to have pushed her on a hard court like that, I’m pretty proud.”

Raducanu had her moments in the match. She won the first eight points of the contest to race into a 2-0 lead, while she did well to force Sabalenka into a first-set tiebreaker after losing the subsequent four games in a row.

Raducanu was terrific on serve in the second set, missing with only five of her 28 first serves, earning the crucial break in the seventh game and later converting her first set point with a second-serve ace.

As for the decider, Raducanu spurned a break point chance in the third game, before saving four on her own serve in the eighth, an incredible 23-minute long battle that the British No 1 would go on to claim.

But the match would ultimately go Sabalenka’s way. “I think starting the point is a big takeaway,” Raducanu added afterwards.

“I think she did that incredibly well; in the big moments, she served and returned really well.

“I did too, in certain moments of the match, but to kind of hold that level on the starting point for the the whole match, I think that’s a big thing for me.”

Sabalenka: Raducanu improving every time

Sabalenka was full of praise for her opponent after the match, saying she was thrilled to see the 2021 US Open champion back producing her best tennis after years of injury issues.

“As I said after Wimbledon, I’m really happy to see her healthy, mentally and physically,” the three-time Grand Slam champion said.

“Every time she’s improving, and I can see that she’s getting back. I’m happy to see that, and I’m enjoying fighting against her.

“She’s such an incredible player, a really nice person and I’m super happy for her – and, of course, I’m happy to get through this difficult match.

“Three hours and 10 minutes… I really hope that tomorrow is a day off, otherwise I won’t be able to recover after such a great battle.”

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