Fighting for the right to potentially meet Coco Gauff next up, Emma Raducanu and Veronika Kudermetova contest an intriguing Italian Open third-round tie on Sunday.
The Briton overcame a last-minute dose of pre-match disruption to see off Jil Teichmann on Friday, while her Russian foe got the better of 15th seed Amanda Anisimova in straight sets.
Match preview
© Imago
Mere hours before she was due to take to the court to meet Ekaterina Alexandrova, Raducanu learned that her scheduled opponent had withdrawn with a shoulder problem, less than a year on from their Wimbledon clash also being cancelled due to the Russian being struck down by illness.
Raducanu's preparation was subsequently thrown into disarray as she suddenly geared up to face leftie lucky loser Teichmann, but the former US Open champion adapted well to the last-gasp change, dropping just four games en route to a 6-2 6-2 win.
Not until the final game of the contest - where she was serving for the victory - did Raducanu face a break point, but her Swiss foe failed to capitalise on that solitary opportunity as the Briton eventually converted her fourth match point.
Also spurning three set points in the opener before taking her fourth, Raducanu took a little longer than she would have liked to get over the line in the key moments, but the only fact that matters is the 22-year-old is through to the third round of the Italian Open for the very first time.
Six aces helped Raducanu on her way to victory on Friday as she detailed the tweaks she has been making to her serve on the practice courts, alterations that could now help her reach the fourth round of a WTA 1000 tournament for just the third time in her still embryonic career.
© Imago
However, standing in the world number 49's way of a last-16 appearance is a player whose best WTA 1000 showing came on the Roman clay two years ago; Kudermetova progressed to the semi-finals of the 2023 Italian Open before falling to Anhelina Kalinina's superiority.
The 28-year-old had also advanced to the last four in Madrid just a couple of weeks earlier, but the Moscow-born player is still on the hunt for her first singles title at this level, although she boasts an eye-catching three doubles crowns from previous WTA 1000 tournaments.
Following up a 7-5 6-2 win over qualifier Lucrezia Stefanini in the first round, Kudermetova - now down at 50th in the world - conquered Anisimova 7-6[5] 7-5 in a two-hour and 25-minute marathon on Friday, where twists and turns were the order of the day.
A staggering 13 breaks were shared between the two players - six for Anisimova and, crucially, seven for Kudermetova - and the Russian also benefitted from 11 double faults from her American foe, albeit while hitting six of her own and only winning 54% of points behind her first serve.
Nevertheless, Kudermetova consistently responded well in the face of setbacks and adversity on Friday, and if the two-time WTA Tour champion can end the British representation in the women's draw by knocking out Raducanu, Gauff or Magda Linette will await in round four.
Tournament so far
Emma Raducanu:
First round: vs. Maya Joint 7-5 6-7[1] 6-3
Second round: vs. Jil Teichmann 6-2 6-2
Veronika Kudermetova:
First round: vs. Lucrezia Stefanini 7-5 6-2
Second round: vs. Amanda Anisimova 7-6[5] 7-5
Head To Head
Raducanu and Kudermetova have never locked horns at the top level before, and they do so for the first time only separated by one place in the WTA Rankings, as the former sits 49th while the Russian occupies 50th spot.
Raducanu should welcome taking on a fellow right-hander after being unexpectedly forced to clash with a leftie in the second round, but her 55.5% win rate in 2025 in slightly inferior to Kudermetova's 62.5%.
We say: Raducanu to win in three sets
It can be difficult to know exactly what to expect from Kudermetova these days, but Raducanu may feel that she has the Russian's number when it comes to serving, even if she possesses less clay-court experience.
The British youngster is adapting well to the surface, though, and we have faith in Raducanu to reach another WTA 1000 fourth round this weekend, but not without a fight.
Ben Knapton
