MIAMI — Emma Raducanu, famously known for her unexpected victory at the 2021 US Open as a qualifier, is making waves again. Despite past injuries, the 22-year-old is determined to make a new mark in tennis, and the 2025 Miami Open is proving to be a great opportunity.

Raducanu, representing Great Britain, continued her strong performance in the tournament on Monday. She defeated Amanda Anisimova, the No. 17 seed, with a score of 6-1, 6-3. This victory takes her to her first ever quarterfinal in a WTA 1000 event.

After the match, Raducanu expressed her pride in rediscovering her competitive spirit. She mentioned that this hunger and determination to fight for every point had been missing for some time. She sees this renewed competitiveness as a major achievement this week.

Raducanu shared that part of her improved performance comes from adjusting her pre-match routine. She has been shortening warm-ups and incorporating fun activities like soccer, frisbee, and football tossing.

“I step onto the court knowing I`ll give my all for every point,” Raducanu stated. She believes that thinking less during matches and allowing her natural creativity to flow is key to her best tennis.

Raducanu has been dominant in her recent matches, winning 24 out of 29 games in her last two, including a match where McCartney Kessler retired in the second set.

In Monday`s match, Raducanu played cleaner tennis than Anisimova. Both players hit eight winners, but Anisimova struggled with 37 unforced errors compared to Raducanu`s eight. The match was completed quickly in just 69 minutes.

This marks only the second time in Raducanu`s career that she has won four consecutive matches in a main WTA Tour draw. The first time was her remarkable US Open run, where she won seven main draw matches and ten including qualifying rounds.

Anisimova herself is experiencing a comeback. After finishing 2024 ranked No. 36, she won a title at the Doha WTA 1000, boosting her ranking to a career-high of No. 17 with an 11-4 record this year.

Raducanu`s wins against Anisimova and No. 8 seed Emma Navarro mean she has defeated two Top 20 players at the same event for the second time in her career. The first time was her US Open victory, where she defeated Belinda Bencic and Maria Sakkari.

Next Opponent: Pegula Raducanu`s quarterfinal match will be against No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula. Pegula defeated No. 23 seed Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 6-3 on Monday.

Pegula has consistently performed well at the Miami Open, reaching the quarterfinals or better for the fourth year in a row. This includes semifinal appearances in 2022 and 2023.

Pegula`s victory on Monday was also efficient. Despite falling behind 3-0 in the second set after winning the first, she recovered to win the next six games and secure the match in 1 hour and 23 minutes.

Raducanu and Pegula have an even record in their previous two encounters, each winning once in their home country. Pegula won on hard courts in Cincinnati in 2022, while Raducanu won on grass at Eastbourne last year in an upset victory.