Here are three takeaways from Raducanu’s win: Never count Osorio out… but Raducanu was ready: Osorio’s rise through the ranks last year was defined by a string of improbable comeback wins, and her fighting spirit from behind was shown by Raducanu. In both sets, the Colombian dragged herself into contention despite facing significant deficits. Raducanu had a point to lead 5-1 in the first set and three break points to go up a double break 5-2 in the second. But Osorio used the full range of her variety to come within a whisker of stealing both, holding two set points at 5-4 in set one and coming within two points of tying the match at 6-5 in set two. Less confident when leading, Osorio helped Raducanu by double-faulting both of her set points in the first set. But in both tiebreaks, it was Raducanu who fended off losing her drivers to rise to the occasion. From 5-3 down in the first set tiebreak, the 19-year-old hit her three best points – pass, drop shot and return winner – to regain control. In the second, remarkable defense at 5-4 led to an error from Osorio and a match point for Raducanu, who converted it with a service winner. Winning the ugly could be a confidence booster: Conditions in Washington were grueling, with temperatures hovering around 90 degrees with 62% humidity. Both players required medical timeouts for blisters. Consequently, the stat sheet wasn’t the prettiest. Raducanu committed 51 unforced errors and Osorio 60. “Honestly three hours in that condition, I think I probably played in Landisville, Pennsylvania last year, and I’d say the conditions were probably worse there, but I wasn’t out there for three hours with the length of the rallies that I was out there today,” he said. Radukanu. “So, conditions-wise, it was probably hotter and more difficult there, but match-wise I think it’s got to be one of the most physical matches I’ve ever played.” It was in contrast to Raducanu’s US Open last year, when her entire game clicked over 10 matches in three weeks. As the teenager has adapted to the main tour this year, however, she has come out on the wrong end with some heartbreaking defeats from the front, notably to Petra Martic and Katerina Siniakova in Indian Wells and Miami respectively. This match could easily turn into something similar after Raducanu failed to serve out a 5-4 win in the second set, throwing back-to-back double faults and a tame forehand at the net. But rebounding for the tiebreaker was another step on her learning curve. Liudmila Samsonova will be a formidable test in the quarter-finals: Radukanou’s opponent in the last eight will be Liudmila Samsonova, who beat Ajla Tomljanovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in 2 hours and 14 minutes. They have never met again. Highlights: Samsonova d. Tomljanovic Raducanu’s run this week took her to her third quarter-final since winning the US Open, following Cluj-Napoca last October and Stuttgart in April. Getting past that stage would be a major hurdle to overcome.
