Emma Raducanu makes classy Naomi Osaka gesture after blitzing into quarter-finals

Emma Raducanu bulldozed four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka at the Citi Open, with the Brit progressing into the quarter-finals of the tournament in a 6-4, 6-2 victory. It was the first time the two titans of the women's game had gone head-to-head, with Raducanu, fresh from a strong Wimbledon, dominating the contest throughout.

Raducanu, who beat Marta Kostyuk in her first match, got her nose in front in the fifth game of the opening set and never looked back. A lightning-quick 38-minute opener was backed up by an even more dominant second set, which saw Raducanu break the Osaka serve on two separate occasions.

Speaking on court after the win, Raducanu praised the quality of her opponent in a classy gesture, saying: "I felt it was going to be a really difficult match. Naomi's won four Slams, been world No.1, won the Masters, she's so dangerous. On hard courts, she's particularly comfortable. I knew I was gonna have to play really well."

Play well she did, with Raducanu holding her serve all game and avoiding any break points. The 2021 US Open winner credited her ability to bounce back on the second serve as a driving force behind her victory, admitting she'd highlighted a specific weakness in Osaka's game.

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Raducanu said: "If you float the second serve in, Naomi is going to crunch it and I'll be behind in the point, so I had to trust my abilities in the second serve and just the one double fault in the second game. So I was pretty pleased with that. But I knew it was going to be a difficult match before I went on court, the atmosphere was really good, so [turning to the crowd] thank you for everyone's support."

On competing in the Citi Open, she added: "I love competing in D.C, this tournament is incredible, the city is incredible, the organisation as well. I always receive amazing support here, again in the quarter-finals, it's a great achievement for me."

Raducanu's reward for defeating Osaka is a match-up against Maria Sakkari, who beat home-crowd favourite Emma Navarro and British No.1 Katie Boulter en route to the last eight. Their quarter-final clash, scheduled for Friday afternoon, will also come on Sakkari's 30th birthday, with Raducanu no doubt hoping to be a party pooper.

On the prospect of spoiling the Greek star's birthday, Raducanu replied: "I'm not sure [if she'll ruin Sakkari's birthday], but we've played a few times in the past. I think these conditions really suit her, they're quite lively. I think she enjoys playing here, she's made the final here and I'm expecting a really tough match.

"She took out the second seed yesterday, so she's in good form. I just need to rest up, recover, get out there and do my best."