Emma Raducanu dug deep to claim a decisive victory against Oleksandra Oliynykova and reach her first final since her triumph at the 2021 US Open.
At just 18 years old, Raducanu stunned the sports world by completing a fairytale journey to become the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam with victory in New York.
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Her attempts to build on this historic success were disrupted by countless injuries and several coaching changes, with Raducanu struggling to find consistent form on the WTA Tour.
She had lost her last three WTA Tour semi-finals, meaning the US Open remains her only senior trophy.
But the British number one held her nerve on Friday to claim a 7-5 3-6 6-3 victory after almost three hours of play against Ukraine’s Oliynykova to reach the final of the Transylvania Open.
Fellow Briton Katie Boulter also made a breakthrough at the Ostrava Open, beating American Katie Volynets to advance to her first final in more than 15 months.
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It means Raducanu and Boulter will become the first two British women to compete in Tour finals on the same day.
Raducanu suffered a listless second-round exit at the Australian Open in January and subsequently parted ways with coach Francisco Roig.
However, she showed true courage throughout her run in Romania to reach the final.
“I’m so proud of the way I competed, the way I came back in the third set and the way I handled the match,” Raducanu said.
“I don’t think I could have done it without the support of everyone here, so thank you very much.”
Raducanu’s father, Ion, is from Bucharest and the exhausted but delighted player briefly addressed the crowd in Romanian after her victory.
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The only hope at home, Sorana Cirstea, now stands between Raducanu and her first silver medal in five years.
The 23-year-old failed to serve out the first set at the first ask, allowing Oliynykova to claw her way back before winning the next two games – bringing it to a close after a grueling hour and 15 minutes.
But the top seed’s momentum faltered again in the second set and she was broken three times as Oliynykova forced a decider, where Raducanu was forced to fight back after a breakdown.
And after missing her first two match points at 5-3, the Briton saved two break points and served the victory in the third moment.
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The victory ended a six-match losing streak in deciding sets for Raducanu, while it was her first three-set victory since beating Ann Li in the first round at Eastbourne in June.
Boulter storms into Ostrava Open final
Boulter, meanwhile, will have the chance to win her first WTA Tour trophy since defending her title in Nottingham in June 2024.
The British number four beat Volynets 6-1 6-3 to set up a meeting with Tamara Korpatsch in Saturday’s final.
This is Boulter’s first final since parting ways with long-time coach Biljana Veselinovic late last year and appointing Michael Joyce in early 2026.
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The 29-year-old said she wanted to give Joyce – the former coach of five-time major winner Maria Sharapova – some silverware for her “birthday week”.
“It’s Mickey’s birthday week, so I’m going to try to get him a birthday present tomorrow, which is the trophy,” Boulter said.
“I’m going to put everything on the line. We’re going to continue celebrating his birthday next month.”
Boulter, who has fallen to 120th in the world, will return to the top 100 if she wins the title in the Czech Republic.
