Emma Raducanu has been placed on a collision course with an ‘honorary Brit’ at the upcoming China Open. The one-time US Open winner will be hoping to go deep into the tournament as she looks to brush off the disappointment of her Korea Open campaign. She beat Jaqueline Cristian in the opening round before slipping to a narrow defeat at the hands of Barbora Krejcikova.
Her next opportunity to earn crucial ranking points will arrive at the China Open, which gets underway later this week. Raducanu has been handed a bye for the first round but could face a tricky opponent in round two. She will go up against Donna Vekic if the 29-year-old beats a qualifier in her opening match.
Vekic hails from Croatia but has been described as an ‘honorary Brit’, having spent around six years of her life living and training in London.
She opened up on her love for the city in an interview with Express Sport earlier this year, saying: “I definitely feel like at home here. I have so many friends, I know London inside and out.
“So it’s probably for sure one of the reasons why I feel so good here. I always said I’m going to live in London after my career, so let’s see.
“Actually, I went to Oxfordshire for one night. I like to go outside the city as well, the British countryside is so beautiful. But in the city, I like all the nice areas, Mayfair, Knightsbridge, good shopping, good restaurants.”
Raducanu, meanwhile, could be pitted against Jessica Pegula if she reaches the third round at the China Open. It would be a tough test for the young Brit, who has struggled against top players since winning the US Open four years ago.
She recently accused her rivals of stepping up their game when they play against her, saying: “I think when the very top players play against me, they have a point to prove that they’re at the top, and they’re there for a reason.
“I think every time I’ve played one, they’ve kind of shown that. So I think at the same time while I’m improving, doing better, gaining maybe some more respect around, I think yeah, the top have definitely raised their game.
“I’ll take that as a compliment that they’ve decided to really lock in against me, but at the same time it does show I have a lot more work to do.
“To be honest, I think when these top players are playing really well, it’s difficult. I think every time I’ve played Iga [Swiatek] and Elena [Rybakina], they’ve played unbelievable, so I think that’s difficult for sure to play against.”
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