Emma Raducanu with Amanda Anisimova inset
Emma Raducanu has brought her fine hard-court form from Washington to Montreal, and she looks set to face her biggest test yet in the third round.
The 2021 US Open champion, who was a semi-finalist in DC last week, delivered a strong display to see off world No 37 Peyton Stearns 6-2, 6-4 in the second round in Canada on Wednesday.
In her opening match at the WTA 1000 event, Raducanu beat her good friend Elena-Gabriela Ruse by the same scoreline, and she will next take on another player she is close to: Amanda Anisimova.
Anisimova is at a career-high ranking of world No 7 after her recent Wimbledon runner-up result, which was her maiden Grand Slam final appearance.
It will be Raducanu‘s third encounter with the 23-year-old American, and she leads the head-to-head 2-0, with both previous clashes also played on hard courts.
The 22-year-old Brit won their first match 6-3, 7-5 in the second round of the Australian Open in January after battling back from being a break down in both sets.
In the second showdown, Raducanu dominated to prevail 6-1, 6-3 in the last 16 of the Miami Open in March.
What have Raducanu and Anisimova said about each other?
Prior to that first meeting in Melbourne, Raducanu and Anisimova both spoke about their friendship.
