Emma Raducanu’s encouraging run at the US Open will have meant a great deal to the British star following a “really sad” admission at her favourite tournament. Raducanu reached the third round at Flushing Meadows, where she memorably won the tournament as a teenage qualifier in 2021 before suffering a tough few years as he battled injury and came to terms with her newfound fame.
This year, she defeated Ena Shibahara and Janice Tjen before being knocked out by world No.10 Elena Rybakina in the third round. Raducanu’s performance in New York saw her continue her steady rise back up the world rankings, which have been updated since the final grand slam of the year. Raducanu is now 34th on the WTA Tour list, climbing two places.
It’s a far cry from three years ago when her defence of the US Open title ended at the first hurdle following a straight-sets defeat to Alize Cornet. Despite being the defending champion, the loss was no real shock given her struggles in 2022.
The defeat also saw her plunge down the rankings from a career-high 11th to 83rd. Speaking after that match, Raducanu said she saw it as an opportunity to kickstart her game following a whirlwind 12 months.
“Obviously, really disappointing, really sad to leave here. It’s probably my favourite tournament,” she said. “But also, in a way, happy because it’s a clean slate.
“I’m going to drop down the rankings. [I need to] Climb my way back up. In a way, the target will be off my back slightly. I just have another chance to claw my way back up there.”
While Raducanu hasn’t managed to repeat her 2021 heroics, her fortunes are trending in the right direction. Failing to make it past the third round of a grand slam this season could be seen as a disappointment, but there is no shame in losing to Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Rybakina, three of the best in the women’s game.
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Raducanu will now hope to push up towards the top 20 ahead of January’s Australian Open, which would, in theory, give her a much better chance of a deep run.
Sabalenka, who won her second straight title in New York with a one-sided victory over Amanda Anisimova, remains at the top of the rankings with a huge gap to Swiatek in second place. Coco Gauff remains third despite being knocked out in the quarter-finals, while Anisimova has climbed five places to sit fourth.