WATCH: Emma Raducanu thrills Beijing crowd with flawless Mandarin Chinese

Emma Raducanu was already a fan favorite at the 2025 China Open because of her links to the country, but that got enhanced further after her post-match interview on Saturday.

Raducanu progressed to the round of 32 by defeating Cristina Bucsa 6-3, 6-3. She lost to the same opponent on a hard court earlier this season in Singapore, and Bucsa beat last year's Olympic Silver Medalist Donna Vekic in the previous round.

That made it a notable result and not one to be dismissed. Raducanu did a great job of being patient in the rallies against her crafty opponent and waiting for the right moment to strike in the slow conditions.

Although the Chinese fans enjoyed watching the former Grand Slam winner compete on the Lotus Court, her post-match interview wowed them even more as Raducanu demonstrated her connection to the country.

The 2021 US Open champion's mother is Chinese, coming from Shenyang. Although Raducanu is British and has represented the country in the Billie Jean King Cup, she has never hidden her Chinese roots and is proud of them.

In the post-match interview after beating Bucsa, Raducanu answered the first question about the victory in English. The second question was also in English, but the 22-year-old then thrilled the fans during that answer.

After getting a cheer when she mentioned being half Chinese, Raducanu sent the crowd into raptures by addressing them in fluent Mandarin, proving her attachment to the nation went beyond the biological link.

Sensing the moment, the interviewer asked the next part in Mandarin, allowing Raducanu to answer in the language. He then asked if she had a final message to her fans, which the WTA star also responded to in Mandarin.

It is nice for Raducanu to share that link with the Chinese fans. Representing another country does not mean she cannot be proud of other parts of her identity, and the supporters in Beijing evidently felt that connection.

Despite having two match points, Raducanu lost 6-4, 6-7, 1-6 to Barbora Krejcikova at the 2025 Korea Open over a week ago. In the interview afterward, she mentioned responding to that moment against Bucsa.

Unfortunately for Raducanu and her fans, she endured another gut-wrenching setback against Jessica Pegula in the China Open round of 32. Despite holding three match points, Raducanu could not close it out and fell 6-3, 6-7, 0-6.

The defeat was painfully similar to the one in Seoul against Krejcikova. After losing a very close second set on a tiebreak, Raducanu's game unraveled, and she swiftly fell apart against both former Grand Slam finalists.

Raducanu also fell in a deciding set tiebreak against Aryna Sabalenka at the 2025 Cincinnati Masters. Although coming so close to beating three high-profile players undoubtedly hurts, she is playing some of her best tennis since the 2021 US Open.

Pegula's victory took her another step closer to qualifying for the 2025 WTA Finals. The American is on the 2025 Japan Open entry list, but would probably withdraw if she is already qualified for the year-end tournament.