Emma Raducanu appeared to aim a subtle dig at Judy Murray following their Wimbledon spat after securing another victory to reach the quarter-finals of the Washington Open.
Raducanu powered past Peyton Stearns in straight sets on Wednesday night despite lengthy delays during the match because of a sudden downpour.
But it was the former US Open champion’s social-media activity that caught the attention of her fans in the wake of the Wimbledon row that overshadowed Andy Murray’s SW19 farewell last month.
American tennis player Frances Tiafoe, who is also playing in Washington, commented on Raducanu’s Instagram post on Wednesday with the message: “Mixed….” along with four emojis, seemingly in relation to her decision to play mixed doubles alongside Murray – only to then withdraw with fitness concerns as she prioritised her singles campaign.
Raducanu replied to Tiafoe with the word “astonishing” along with a laughing emoji, which was the exact word Judy Murray used to describe the situation when the 21-year-old announced her mixed-doubles withdrawal at Wimbledon.
Several followers picked up on the apparent jibe, with one replying to Raducanu, “can’t understand your sarcasm”, in an apparent reference to Judy Murray’s explanation that her reaction had been misunderstood.
The post came before Raducanu defeated US talent Stearns 7-6, 6-2, adding to her opening-round victory over Elise Mertens.
She will now face the winner of Thursday’s meeting between wild card Paula Badosa and third seed Liudmila Samsonova.
Raducanu encountered choppy waters in the fourth game of the opening set, surviving two break points as her double faults piled up, but she showed resolve to close out the game and then break her opponent in the fifth.
Stearns, ranked 51 in the world, produced some classy shots, but Raducanu remained in control until heavy rain started falling as she served to secure the first set.
After a two-hour delay, she clinched the set 7-6 (8-6) in a tie-break.
“It’s tricky today, when you get rained off at such a big moment like that. It can affect the dynamics of the match,” Raducanu said after the game. “I think I did a pretty good job of coming out pretty strong and toughing out that tie-break.”
With the first set under her belt, the 2021 US Open champion broke away early in the second, going up 3-0 early on. Raducanu, now ranked 69, thanked the crowd for their patience during the late-night thriller.
“I knew it was going to be a tough match against Peyton, especially playing at home,” she said. “It’s been a good run for me in the last few months, I think I’m building some momentum.”
The young talent, who is still managing her comeback after wrist and ankle surgery, turned down the invitation to represent Team GB in Paris because she did not want to switch back to playing on clay at Roland Garros ahead of the forthcoming US Open.