Emma Raducanu 'rollercoaster' sets up world No.1 showdown

British tennis sensation Emma Raducanu has stormed back into top form at the Stuttgart Open, winning back to back matches for the first time in six months.

After dispatching Australian hopeful Storm Sanders in short order, Raducanu had to work much harder to defeat German Tamara Korpatsch 6-0 2-6 6-1 in her first WTA event on clay.

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The 2021 US Open champion had battled for form since shocking the world to defeat Leylah Fernandez in what was just her second grand slam appearance, but her first outing on clay courts has so far proven to be no hindrance for the 19-year-old.

Following the convincing victory over Sanders, Raducanu picked up where she left off against lucky loser Korpatsch, dropping just seven points in a one-sided first set.

But the German found her range in the second set and began to put significant pressure on Raducanu, who was unable to come up with the answers.

The British player dug in to hold at the start of the deciding set and then threw Korpatsch off her rhythm with a series of high balls before riding her momentum to the finish line.

Raducanu's calm in the face of pressure helped her set up an interesting third round clash against world No.1 Iga Swiatek, a real test for the teenage rising star.

Their only previous meeting came in the quarter-finals of the girls' singles at Wimbledon in 2018, when Swiatek won 6-0 6-1.

"Of course she's in great form and it will be an interesting match but she's number one in the world," said Raducanu.

"I feel like I've got no pressure going out there, playing on clay against her, so I'm looking forward to the match."

Remarkably, the Swiatek match will be Raducanu's first match against a top-10 opponent.

Emma Raducanu wins back-to-back games to set up Swiatek showdown

Currently ranked world No.12, Raducanu will be aiming to truly establish herself among the tennis elite at the upocming French Open and Wimbledon tournaments.

After an impressive response to Korpatsch's challenge in the second set, Raducanu gave her German opponent plenty of props after the match.

"Overall, I feel like Tamara came out in the second set and played some unbelievable tennis," she said.

"I didn't even think that I was making too many mistakes but I dropped the ball slightly short and she was all over it. For me it was just about regrouping for the third set and trying to stay aggressive."

In just her second WTA Tour quarter-final, Raducanu faces the formidable task of taking on Pole Swiatek, who is on a 20-match winning streak and has lost just three games in her last six sets.

Earlier, second-seeded Paula Badosa had defeated Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina 6-2 4-6 7-6 (7-4) and will face Ons Jabeur in the quarterfinals after the Tunisian defeated Daria Kasatkina 6-3 6-3.

Third seed Aryna Sabalenka beat Canada's returning Bianca Andreescu 6-1 3-6 6-2 while fourth seed Maria Sakkari had to retire with injury against Laura Siegemund as the German was leading 6-4 3-1.

Siegemund next plays Russian Liudmila Samsonova, who defeated Wimbledon finalist Karolina Pliskova 6-4 6-4.

With agencies

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