Emma Raducanu delivered a powerful lesson to rising star Janice Tjen, schooling the qualifier in a 6-2, 6-1 victory at the US Open. The match was a clear demonstration of the difference in level between a Grand Slam champion and a player still making their way on the tour.
Tjen, a 23-year-old who has enjoyed a rapid ascent since turning pro, was given a firsthand education in top-tier tennis. Raducanu’s pace of shot, serving accuracy, and relentless baseline pressure were on a level that Tjen had simply never experienced before. The British star was a professor of power, and Tjen was her student.
Throughout the match, Raducanu dictated the terms of engagement. She showed Tjen what it takes to compete on a show court at a major, never allowing her to settle or play the game that had brought her so much success on the ITF circuit. It was a tough, but valuable, lesson for the Indonesian player.
For Raducanu, the match was an opportunity to assert her authority and show that she is firmly back among the elite. By so convincingly schooling a talented up-and-comer, she sent a message to the rest of the draw that she is a force to be reckoned with. The lesson is over; the real tests begin now.
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