London, June 13 (UNI) Emma Raducanu swept aside Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova to reach the quarter-finals at Queen's and will regain her place as British number one for the first time in two years.
The Briton was largely untroubled against world number 41 Sramkova, winning 6-4 6-1 on a packed Andy Murray Arena on Thursday.
The 22-year-old smiled between points after overcoming a wobble in the first set where she lost four games in a row while trying to seal the opener.
Raducanu is the last Briton standing at the first women's tournament at Queen's since 1973 after compatriots Katie Boulter and Heather Watson exited in the last 16 earlier on Thursday.
Watson lost 6-4 6-2 to 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, while Boulter fell 2-6 6-3 6-2 to Diana Shnaider and will now relinquish her title as British number one, which she has held since
June 2023, according to a BBC news.
Raducanu, who will face Chinese top seed Zheng Qinwen next, only had to equal Boulter's run at Queen's to overtake her when the official rankings are updated on Monday.
She earned the position after winning the US Open in 2021 but slipped down the rankings after a period of inconsistent form and injury struggles in 2023, when Boulter replaced her.
The rivalry for top spot is perhaps not all that intense, though, as Raducanu wrote "long live Boultucanu" - a nod to their doubles partnership - on the camera lens after her victory, with the
pair clearly firm friends.
UNI BM