At the heart of Emma Raducanu’s resurgence at this year’s US Open lies one revitalized weapon: her serve. The British No. 1 delivered a supreme serving performance to anchor a devastating 6-2, 6-1 victory over Janice Tjen, securing her place in the third round and demonstrating a level of dominance not seen since her 2021 title run.
From her very first service game, Raducanu was in command. She fired down five aces in the first set alone and won a remarkable 84% of points when her first serve landed in. This efficiency not only won her cheap points but also infused her entire game with confidence. As Raducanu herself noted, “It always helps me when I’m serving well. It just kind of seeps into the rest of my game.”
This serving prowess allowed Raducanu to adopt an aggressive posture on the court, freeing her up to swing with more conviction on her groundstrokes. She consistently forced Janice Tjen, a dangerous and in-form opponent, onto the defensive. Tjen, who had been on a tear with 95 wins in the last 15 months, was given no opportunity to impose her crafty, slice-heavy game against the relentless pressure.
With two commanding performances under her belt, Raducanu has shown that when her serve is firing, she is a threat to anyone. This weapon will be absolutely vital as she moves into the third round, where she will face a significantly higher-ranked opponent in either ninth-seeded Elena Rybakina or another qualifier. Her continued success may well depend on her ability to maintain this exceptional level of serving.
