Emma Raducanu sends message to Coco Gauff ahead of Italian Open showdown

Emma Raducanu has told Coco Gauff that she is playing ‘pretty good tennis right now’ ahead of their blockbuster clash at the Italian Open.

Raducanu came from behind to defeat Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday and will next face American fourth-seed Gauff in the last 16 out in Rome.

The British star, world No.49, lost the first set to Kudermetova but came roaring back to bagel her opponent and then dominate in the decider.

Raducanu’s 6-7 6-0 6-1 victory means she will next face 2022 French Open finalist Gauff in a battle between two former US Open champions.

It was a fine performance on clay from Raducanu, who was seen moving well on the red dirt and her defence was particularly outstanding.

The 22-year-old crushed Kudermetova with her groundstrokes and won 12 of the last 13 games to book a last-16 spot in Rome for the very first time.

Speaking after her stunning win over the Russian world No.50, Raducanu told Sky Sports: ‘The most pleasing part of today was recovering after losing the first set having served for it.

‘I think I threw in a pretty poor game at 5-4 serving but I felt under pressure on Veronika’s returns – she was literally red-lining everything and it was all going in. I didn’t know where to serve and it’s not a nice feeling to have.

‘I’m so happy with the way I didn’t let the rest of the match get away. With me, that’s big progress because of some of the matches I played in the past. I’m happy with the variety that I have with my shots.

‘I was able to return from two different positions up and back, which is new and I think I adopted the back in the last two matches and it’s helped me just get into the point and put me into a better position on the fourth ball but I still think I can be better out of the corners.’

Quizzed about her upcoming showdown with Gauff, Raducanu added: ‘[Coco] is a great competitor. I think I’m playing pretty good tennis right now and she is going to be a great test.

‘She’s made the final of the French Open [before] and so she’s great on this surface. I’m just going to keep focused but savour this one for now.’

Raducanu is hoping to reach her second quarter-final in her last three tournaments after her run to the last eight in Miami at the end of March.

There has been much talk about her somewhat unusual coaching set-up in recent weeks – but Raducanu surely won’t care given her recent form.

Raducanu is currently working with Mark Petchey on a casual basis with Jane O’Donoghue stepping in when the part-time coach is unavailable.

British tennis star Dan Evans suggested this week that the arrangement could be doomed to fail and she may soon need a new full-time coach.

Raducanu is currently gearing up for the French Open – the second Grand Slam of the year – which gets underway in Paris this month on May 25.

She has never reached the third round at Roland-Garros before as she looks to beat her personal best in 2025.