The Brit is through to the last eight of the Miami Open for the first-ever time.

Emma Raducanu waltzed through to the last eight of the Miami Open (Image: Getty)

Emma Raducanu had a classy message for defeated Miami Open opponent Amanda Anisimova after the Brit waltzed through to the quarter-finals of the WTA Tour 1000 event. Raducanu took the match in straight sets, defeating Anisimova 6-1, 6-3, with the 2021 US Open winner’s service game catching the eye during a dominant showing in Miami.

The 22-year-old was much superior to Anisimova in every department, but Raducanu’s job was made significantly easier because her opponent had been carrying a nasty finger injury. The American shared social media snaps of the injury pre-match, with Anisimova calling a medical time-out in between the two sets.

Raducanu referenced her counterpart’s problem during her post-match debrief, telling Sky Sports: “Playing Amanda is never easy, she’s had some amazing wins, top 20 and won a Masters this year. She’s playing great tennis and I hope her wrist, or something, is OK.”

It comes after Sky Sports commentator Annabel Croft blasted Anisimova for her lacklustre performance in the first set against Raducanu. Prior to receiving medical attention, it was clear the finger problem was getting to Anisimova and having an impact on her game. Croft said: “Anisimova is absolutely rattled. Her service game… I’m not sure Emma has even lost a point has she?”

Raducanu is the first Brit in 10 attempts to reach a WTA Tour 1000 quarter-final (Image: Getty)

It was a rapid turnaround from the third round for the pair of them, with both Raducanu and Anisimova having been in action on Sunday. Addressing this, Raducanu added: “It was really difficult with the turnover, Amanda finished even later than I did. By the time you get back it’s 11 and you can’t go to sleep straight away.

“Third on today so I was really happy with physically how I bounced back. It wasn’t a very long match yesterday but still the mental intensity of these tournaments is a lot. I’m happy to have a day off to regroup, get my bearings and then try and go again.”

On her tennis in general, she stated: “I’ve come a long way in the last week. Since Indian Wells, I wasn’t necessarily feeling great about my tennis, about everything. But this week I’ve got some really good people around me who I trust and who I have fun with off the court as well.

“That’s extremely important I think. I’m very expressive and when I play my best, I’m definitely authentic and true to myself and creative. When I’m boxed into a regimented way then I’m not able to express myself in the same way. I’m happy with how I realised that this week as well.”

Raducanu will face either Marta Kostyuk or Jessica Pegula in the quarter-finals.