Raducanu beats 2023 champion Vondrousova to set up Sabalenka tie

British number one Emma Raducanu produced one of her best displays in recent memory to sweep aside 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova and reach the Wimbledon third round.

In an outstanding performance marked by authority and intensity, the 22-year-old won 6-3 6-3 in just 82 minutes amid an electric atmosphere on Centre Court.

It was a level the former US Open champion will need to replicate - if not improve - when she meets world number one Aryna Sabalenka next and seeks to equal her best run at the Championships in 2021 and 2024.

"I think today I played really, really well. There were some points that I have no idea how I turned around," an elated Raducanu said in her on-court interview.

"I knew playing Marketa was going to be an incredibly difficult match. She has won this tournament which is a huge achievement.

"I'm really pleased with how I played my game the whole way through."

Raducanu became the third British player to reach the third round on Wednesday, following earlier victories for Sonay Kartal and Cameron Norrie.

Her victory came on a day when the women's draw further opened up, as 2024 runner-up Jasmine Paolini became the fourth top-five seed to exit the tournament.

It is just the second time in the Open era that only one of the top five players - Sabalenka - has made it through to the third round of the women's singles at a Grand Slam event.

On facing the Belarusian top seed, Raducanu said: "She is number one in the world right now, so dominant on the tour and has won literally everything, so it is going to be a really difficult match.

"I'm just so happy with how I performed and all I can do is control my side of the court as best as possible.

"When you play an opponent like her you know you have to play well so I guess there is no pressure on me at all in the next round."

After regaining her status as British number one following a run to the Queen's quarter-finals last month, Raducanu spoke about how she is now feeling free to express herself on court.

Her final Wimbledon preparations did not go perfectly, though, and she admitted she needed to get her "head in the game" after losing to Australian teenager Maya Joint in Eastbourne last month.

But, after a comfortable opening victory over compatriot Mimi Xu, this was Raducanu at her free-flowing best.

Following an assured start, she made a deserved breakthrough in the sixth game with a stunning passing winner on the first break point of the match.

Vondrousova offered an immediate response but the Briton regained her composure and pounced again on a fourth break point opportunity for a 5-3 lead, before seeing out the set.

Raducanu did not allow her intensity to drop at the start of the second as, to the delight of her adoring home crowd, she again broke the 26-year-old Czech's resistance with a third break point for a 2-1 lead.

She began her push for the finish line by avoiding a repeat of the immediate setback in the opening set, battling to a superb hold from two break points down.

Such was the consistency Raducanu had shown on serve, she closed in on victory untroubled, and the chair umpire had to remind the crowd to remain quiet during the points as their excitement increased.

Securing victory with a final break of serve, the manner of this success against a former champion will give her a major lift heading into a tantalising encounter with Sabalenka.

Raducanu has already made encouraging progress this year to return to the top 40, following a 2024 season which she began ranked 303rd following surgery on both wrists and her left ankle.

The continuation of her positive trajectory has been aided by the addition of former British number one Mark Petchey to her coaching team since March.

Technical work on Raducanu's serve and forehand, as well as a push towards a more aggressive approach, have been among their key areas of focus.

That was all evident here in a statement success.

Despite her own injury issues, Vondrousova had proved a serious threat on grass by defeating five top-50 players, including Sabalenka, at the Berlin Open to lift her first title in 24 months.

But she was thoroughly outclassed by Raducanu, who had lost their previous two meetings, and the Briton will now prepare for the ultimate test of her progress on Friday.