Great Britain's Emma Raducanu laid down a huge marker at the Miami Open as she thrashed Amanda Anisimova to stroll into her first WTA 1000 quarter-final.
The former US Open champion had already made a few statements with earlier victories over Sayaka Ishii and Emma Navarro before McCartney Kessler retired from their third-round match with Raducanu leading 6-1 3-0.
Competing in just her second last-16 match at a WTA 1000 event, having lost at that stage in the 2023 Indian Wells Masters, Raducanu broke new ground as she crushed Anisimova 6-1 6-3 in just 68 minutes.
The 22-year-old mercilessly attacked Anisimova from the off as she raced into a 4-0 lead with a double break, and while she missed a chance for a potential bagel, she took the first set with ease and did not lose a single point on serve throughout.
Raducanu's streak of love holds ended at the start of the second set, but the Briton continued to prove relentless on return and broke for a 3-1 advantage, although her American foe quickly returned the favour to cut the deficit down to 2-3.
However, Anisimova fatally lost serve again straight away, and after a long rally on the Briton's first match point, a long forehand from the American sent Raducanu through to a quarter-final showdown with Jessica Pegula.
The 22-year-old has now become just the second British woman to reach a WTA 1000 final since 1990, emulating Johanna Konta, and the last time she won four straight main-draw matches came at none other than the 2021 US Open during her run to Grand Slam glory.
Ben Knapton
