Emma Raducanu gets rematch against opponent she defeated at Wimbledon with massive rankings boost in sight
Emma Raducanu returns to competitive action for the first time since Wimbledon and she has been handed a rematch at the Washington Open against one of the opponents she beat during her run at SW19. On the back of her decision to turn down the chance to represent Great Britain at the Paris Olympics, Raducanu instead signed up for the WTA 500 event in the United States.
The 21-year-old will compete at the tournament for the second time in her career following her debut in two years while it is her first appearance on North American soil since 2022 as she missed last year’s swing as she was recovering from wrist and knee surgery. And she will face a familiar foe as she takes on the eighth-seeded Elise Mertens – the player she defeated in the second round at Wimbledon – in her opening match in Washington.
Raducanu produced one of her most clinical displays this year against the Belgian at Wimbledon as she won 6-1, 6-2 on Centre Court, breaking her opponent’s serve twice in both sets. The 21-year-old’s Wimbledon run was ended by Lulu Sun in the fourth round and now nearly three weeks later she will return to competitive action with plenty of ranking points up for grabs.
Ranking Points On The Spell
Raducanu sits at No 93 in the official WTA Rankings with 799 points, but there are plenty of points available as it is a WTA 500 event.
She will receive one point for competing in the first round – win or lose – and if she gets the better of Mertens she is guaranteed 60 points for a second-round appearance, which could push her into the top 80 of the rankings.
After beating Mertens at Wimbledon, Raducanu admitted she feels like she is playing with a bit more freedom. “Sometimes you feel like you’re taking a few steps forward, and then you take a step back. I think that’s normal with any progress. It’s never really plain sailing through it,” she explained. “I think certain matches this year I’ve played with a lot more freedom, others I’ve been more tentative, more passive.
“I think as long as I’m trending in the right trajectory, then I’m happy and moving forwards.” Raducanu and Mertens are in the bottom half of the Washington draw and the winner will face either American pair Peyton Stearns or Clervie Ngounoue with one of third seed Luidmila Samsonova, Paula Badosa and Sofia Kenin a potential quarter-final opponent.
Daria Kasatkina headlines the bottom section and the second seed is the favourite to reach the semi-final and she faces either Lesia Tsurenko or Caroline Dolehide in the second round while a potential last-eight clash against seventh seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is on the cards.
Top Half Of Draw
World No 3 Aryna Sabalenka is the top seed for the Washington Open and she will open her campaign against Katy Volynets or a qualifier while eighth seed Victoria Azarenka is a projected quarter-final opponent.Sabalenka hasn’t played since the Berlin Open in June as she missed Wimbledon due to a shoulder injury.
Ons Jabeuri is the other high-profile player in the top half and she faces either Shelby Rogers or Robin Montgomery first up while she could meet ninth seed Anastasia Potapova in the last eight.
