
Emma Raducanu overcame an injury scare to beat Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3 7-5 and join fellow Briton Katie Boulter in the Queen’s semi-finals.
The British number one had to go off court for medical treatment in the second set after slipping while attempting to change direction on the grass.
Returning to Andy Murray Arena with her left thigh strapped up, Raducanu lost her serve as she struggled to regain the momentum she had before her fall.
With Raducanu’s coaching team loudly encouraging her, the 2021 US Open champion had to dig deep as her opponent sought to take advantage.
The Briton regained her form to break Rakhimova’s serve and lead 5-4, but could not seal victory on her serve as the Russian-born Uzbek fought back.
However, she broke Rakhimova again and finally clinched her place in the semi-finals with her third match point.
“It was really tricky, she played some incredible tennis and got a lot of balls back,” Raducanu told BBC TV. “It was an up-and-down match and I’m really grateful for the support I had in some tough moments.
“It was tough to take the fall, I was in a good spot in the match and I found it tough to regroup, but I am proud how I did that with the help of you guys here.
“It’s incredible for British tennis to have two semi-finalists and is a great achievement. It’s great to see and I’m wishing Katie well.”
The 23-year-old will return later on Saturday to face American teenager Iva Jovic for a place in Sunday’s final, while Boulter takes on Croatia’s Donna Vekic.
Raducanu achieved her first win against a top-20 opponent in over a year by beating Romanian world number 18 Sorana Cirstea on Friday, but was unable to start her quarter-final last night.
Having dropped her serve in the third game against Rakhimova, Raducanu took control of the match after play was interrupted in bizarre circumstances.
Attempting to serve out at 40-0, Raducanu was forced to delay her serve several times because of the noise of military aircraft taking part in the King’s Trooping the Colour flypast in central London.
Once the Red Arrows had flown over the west London club, Raducanu wrapped up the service game and powered through the rest of the first set.
She has yet to lose a set in the tournament but now faces the prospect of having to win two matches in a day to continue her excellent run this week.







