Emma Raducanu reveals real reason behind 2-finger celebration after beating Naomi Osaka amid Japanese's '2nd Slam' shade at her during Citi DC Open

Emma Raducanu sealed her progress to the women's singles quarterfinals at the 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington with a second-round win over former No. 1 and four-time Major champion Naomi Osaka. Ahead of the match, Osaka seemingly threw shade at Raducanu in an interview, and after it, the Brit performed a two-finger celebration, seemingly getting back at the Japanese. However, later, Raducanu disclosed the real reason behind the celebration.

On Thursday, July 24, tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg published an interview in the buildup to Raducanu and Osaka's clash in Washington. The interview featured the journalist's exchanges with both the Brit and the Japanese. During his interaction with Osaka, Rothenberg asked if the Japanese saw similarities between herself and Raducanu, considering their respective US Open successes in 2018 and 2021 supercharged their careers.

Naomi Osaka, seemingly throwing shade at Emma Raducanu, replied:

"I won my second slam after I won my first slam," referring to the Brit's lack of success on the Grand Slam stage following her surprising run to the US Open title in 2021 as a qualifier.

Fast forward to the immediate aftermath of Raducanu's 6-4, 6-2, second-round victory against Osaka in Washington, and the Brit celebrated by waving her left hand's index and middle fingers pointing up in the crowd's direction. Unsurprisingly, some felt that the gesture was a symbolic counterattack from the 22-year-old directed at the 27-year-old.

However, Emma Raducanu cleared the air with a brief statement to Rothenberg later, explaining the reason behind the two-finger celebration.

"It's just a bit of an inside joke with me and my friends from Wimbledon. Yeah, one of my friends are here, so we kind of continued that on," Raducanu told Rothenberg, as reported by the journalist on X.

Emma Raducanu to face Maria Sakkari in Citi DC Open QF; Brit's ranking could rise significantly if she beats Greek

Maria Sakkari (left) and Emma Raducanu (right) at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships (Source: Getty)

A resurgent Maria Sakkari awaits Emma Raducanu in the women's singles quarterfinals at the 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open. Sakkari, a former No. 3, is ranked 90th in the WTA Tour's singles rankings. However, the Greek has so far shown several glimpses of her past brilliance in Washington.

For Raducanu, the WTA No. 46, the match against Sakkari could prove pivotal in her bid to be seeded at this year's US Open. If the Brit wins the quarterfinal clash, she will rise to No. 31 when the new rankings are published following the conclusion of the combined ATP and WTA 500 hardcourt event in the American capital.

On paper, Emma Raducanu is the favorite going into the match against Maria Sakkari. The Brit and the Greek have faced each other on three previous occasions, with the former winning all of them in straight sets.

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Edited by Sudipto Pati