Emma Raducanu has discovered a blueprint for victory at this year’s US Open, and she stuck to it with devastating effect in her 6-2, 6-1 win over Janice Tjen. This clear, repeatable formula of aggressive, serve-oriented tennis is proving to be the key to her resurgence.
The first step of the blueprint is to establish server dominance. Raducanu executed this by winning a high percentage of first-serve points, effectively holding serve with ease and putting all the pressure on her opponent. This foundational step has worked perfectly in both her matches.
The second step is to dictate from the baseline. Using the confidence from her service games, she steps in on the return and takes control of rallies early. She did this against Tjen by taking the ball on the rise and pinning her in the backhand corner, never allowing her to deploy her own game plan.
This simple but highly effective blueprint has made Raducanu look unbeatable in the early rounds. It is a formula that relies on her improved power and shot quality. The question now is whether this blueprint is strong enough to withstand the pressure from the elite players she is about to face.