Raducanu shows glimpses of best form in beating former Wimbledon champion Vondrousova

LONDON (AP) — Emma Raducanu played some of her most clinical tennis since her U.S. Open title run to sweep aside 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 6-3, 6-3 on Wednesday and reach the third round.

In front of a raucous Centre Court crowd, Raducanu surprised even herself sometimes in outdueling the Czech player in a match between Grand Slam winners who were both unseeded.

“That was one of the best matches I’ve played in a long time,” said Raducanu, the 2021 champion at Flushing Meadows. “I turned one point around that I think is probably the best point I’ve ever played, so that was pretty crazy. I think the crowd were loving it.”

She may have to up her level even further in the next match, though. In a tournament where four of the five top women’s seeds have already been eliminated, the British home favorite will be up against the only one remaining — No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

“Yeah, I guess there’s no pressure at all on me the next round,” Raducanu said in an on-court interview, laughing.

There's always pressure on Raducanu playing at Wimbledon, especially after she became the first British woman since 1977 to capture a Grand Slam title when she won the U.S. Open as a qualifier.

She struggled with injuries and form after that, and her fourth-round showing at Wimbledon last year is her best result in a major since.

But her win against Vondrousova, who in 2019 was the French Open runner-up, showed Raducanu might be back to her best.

"She was playing amazing tennis," Vondrousova said. “She was crushing me in the rallies, so there wasn’t much I could do.”

Raducanu seemed pretty impressed with her own performance as well.

“I think today I played really, really well,” she said. “I knew today I had to be aggressive because Marketa would beat me if I was going to push the ball around.”

Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic plays a return to Emma Raducanu of Britain during their second round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 2, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Emma Raducanu of Britain plays a return to Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic during their second round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 2, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Emma Raducanu of Britain plays a return to Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic during their second round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 2, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Emma Raducanu of Britain plays a return to Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic during their second round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 2, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Emma Raducanu of Britain celebrates winning the second round women's singles match against Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 2, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A man handed an illegal prison sentence years longer than the maximum penalty for his crime has been granted clemency by Mississippi's governor, weeks after the man's brother received clemency in a similar case.

Gov. Tate Reeves announced Wednesday that he was granting clemency to Maurice Taylor. The man's brother, Marcus Taylor, received clemency earlier this month from the governor for another illegal sentence.

In February 2015, both brothers accepted plea bargains and pled guilty to conspiracy to sell a Schedule III substance.

At the time, the maximum penalty for conspiracy to sell a Schedule III substance was five years. Yet Maurice Taylor was sentenced to 20 years in prison with five years suspended, and Marcus Taylor to 15 years.

“Like his brother, Maurice Taylor received a sentence more than three times longer than allowed under Mississippi law,” Reeves wrote in his announcement. “When justice is denied to even one Mississippian, it is denied to us all.”

In May, the Mississippi Court of Appeals had ruled that Marcus Taylor’s sentence was illegal, but did not commute his sentence because Taylor had missed the deadline to apply for post-conviction relief. After rehearing that case in November, the court reversed course and ordered his release.

In Wednesday's order, Reeves wrote that Maurice Taylor's post-conviction counsel contacted his office for the first time a few weeks ago, providing legal documents in his case. Maurice Taylor must be released within five days, according to Reeves’ order.

The Associated Press was not immediately able to identify and contact Maurice Taylor's post-conviction counsel.

The brothers are the only people to receive clemency from Reeves.

FILE - Republican Gov. Tate Reeves responds to a reporter's question during a news conference Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)