How elite win would cement Raducanus progress

With fitness issues behind her, and the development of greater resilience, Raducanu has climbed back into the worlds top 40

So close yet so far. In the past couple of months, Emma Raducanu has twice pushed the worlds leading player to the brink.

On Friday, Raducanu has another chance to test herself against one of the very best, meeting 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina for a spot in the US Open fourth round.

While the British number one ultimately fell short of beating Aryna Sabalenka at Wimbledon and the Cincinnati Open, 36th-ranked Raducanus performances were a mark of her encouraging progress.

"When Raducanu has taken on top-10 players in previous years, it felt she was a little lightweight going up against the power players," former world number one Lindsay Davenport told BBC Sport.

"Over the last couple of months that feeling has left my mind.

"Against Sabalenka, Raducanu was not only able to absorb the power but also able to push her around.

"Facing Rybakina will be a huge battle - but I give Raducanu a chance."

Despite the positives of her performances against Sabalenka, 22-year-old Raducanu has still only won three of her 17 matches against top-10 players.

The 2021 US Open champion has also never beaten a fellow Grand Slam winner.

Rybakina might be seeded ninth in New York this year, but the recent bulldozing of Sabalenka in Cincinnati - winning 6-1 6-4 - was a reminder of her threat.

"Its great to see her looking healthy and looking better on court," added three-time major champion Davenport, whose serving was also the bedrock of her success.

"But Raducanu has made a lot of huge improvements too. Her serve is better and her legs look stronger."

At Wimbledon, home favourite Raducanu severely tested Sabalenka throughout the majority of a gripping contest before running out of steam.

Little over a month later, she dragged the world number one into an even tougher battle at the Cincinnati Open in a three-set match which could have gone either way.

With her service game providing a strong foundation, backed by calmness and clarity from the baseline, Raducanus performance was further evidence she can severely test the worlds best.

Like Sabalenka, the rangy Rybakina relies on her power from the baseline - particularly dominating opponents with her thunderous serve.

"The match-up is different but youre still playing a power player in Rybakina," said Davenport.

"With Rybakina you get a little bit more time. If you look at the pace of shot from both players, Sabalenka is a little bit more offensive and a little bit more dominant in how early she takes her shot.

"Rybakinas A-game isnt as high as Sabalenkas but I think Raducanu will have a little bit more time off the ground.

"I think that helps her in terms of being able to build points and move Rybakina around."

Rybakina has hit 359 aces in her 57 matches on the WTA Tour this year

Building points against Rybakina is very difficult for opponents, however.

Standing at 6ft (1.83m) tall, she has a metronomic serve which leads the ace count and first-serve percentage on the WTA Tour this season.

While Rybakina served strongly in her opening win against American qualifier Julieta Pareja, her level dipped in a second-round victory and allowed Czech opponent Tereza Valentova to break three times.

"She is the type of opponent who can take the racquet out of anyones hand if she is returning and serving well," said Raducanu.

Rybakina is not leading the serving statistics in New York. Instead, Raducanu is.

She is the only player through to round three to have won 100% of her service games, helped by a 78% first-serve percentage - the second-highest of the tournament.

Zero double faults - an issue which plagued Raducanu earlier this year at the Australian Open - underlines the solidity in her second serve.

The opening shot is an area which she has particularly tried to develop into a weapon over recent months.

"It always helps me when Im serving well. It just kind of seeps into the rest of my game," said Raducanu.

There is a caveat. Both of her opponents so far - Japans Ena Shibahara and Indonesias Janice Tjen - have been lowly ranked qualifiers.

Rybakina, whose fluid groundstrokes off both wings back up her serve, is likely to put Raducanu under more intense scrutiny.

On her chances of winning, Raducanu said: "It really depends on how we match-up on the day.

"In womens tennis in particular, it comes down to who is feeling better on the day.

"But I think my game is in a better place than it was in the last few months, so looking forward to taking it to her."