Emma Raducanu says her ‘skin was ripping off’ after overcoming sweltering conditions at Citi Open
- Seb Sternik
- 5 August 2022
British number one Emma Raducanu was forced to dig deep as she battled past Colombian challenger Camila Osorio in Washington.
The US Open champion kicked off her North American hard-court season with a two-and-a-half-hour battle against Louisa Chirico on Tuesday, and followed it up with another hard-fought clash against Osorio.
The 19-year-old dominated the baseline and got over the finishing line, winning the match 7-6 7-6.
Raducanu needed a medical time-out for treatment on blisters on her racquet hand - an issue which proved costly at the Australian Open at the start of the year.
Nevertheless, she overcame the issue and sealed her place in the Citi Open quarter-final.
"I think I died about three times in that match and I came back - honestly, I don't know how," Raducanu said in her post-match comments on court.
"Camila is such a battler. I was working so hard for every single point.
"When she comes back, the dynamic of the match changes a bit, so I am just really pleased to have got through that one."
Some grit from the Brit ✊
— wta (@WTA) August 4, 2022
🇬🇧 @EmmaRaducanu battles to a 7-6(5), 7-6(4) victory over Osorio in 2h49m to reach the quarterfinals in Washington!#CitiOpen pic.twitter.com/0QPXTgBOnF
Of her own hand issues, Raducanu said: "At the beginning of the match I was alright, but then throughout the match my skin was just ripping off - it was pretty raw and open."
Raducanu will go on to play Russian Liudmila Samsonova for a place in the last four.
The British number one said: "She is a big ball striker and has the ability to take the game out of your hands, so for me it is just about recovery as best as I can for tomorrow.
"Both of us are going to be feeling it, and it is a matter of who is going to stay tough."
