Emma Raducanu faces huge qualifying decision as she chases a new rankings boost
Emma Raducanu is facing up to the prospect of playing in qualifying for the first time since her 2021 US Open win despite her rapid rise up the WTA Rankings list. Raducanu is back in the top 100 of the rankings after an impressive run on grass courts saw her reach the semi-finals of the Nottingham Open, the quarter-finals at the Eastbourne International and the last-16 at Wimbledon. Those performances justified her decision to opt out of playing in qualifying for the French Open, with that decision initially sparking a wave of negativity towards Raducanu.
Some cynics suggested Raducanu did not want to play in qualifying as it would not have looked good for her image if she had crashed out in the early rounds. Now she is faced with a similar dilemma after Tennis Canada chiefs confirmed Raducanu is not expected to get a wildcard to play in their WTA 1000 event in Toronto that gets underway in the first week of August. The Canadian trio of Rebecca Marino Stakusic and Bianca Andreescu all received wildcards for one of the marquee events on the WTA Tour, along with four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka.
“I’m thrilled to be playing at the National Bank Open this year,” Osaka said in a statement. “The city of Toronto has an amazing energy and I can’t wait to be back there. I’m incredibly grateful for the wild-card opportunity and look forward to playing in front of the passionate Canadian fans.” Meanwhile, Tennis Canada chiefs released media statements confirming they are expecting Raducanu to play in the qualifying event for their WTA 1000 tournament, along with some additional big names. The list includes three Grand Slam champions with 2018 Canadian Open runner-up Sloane Stephens (2017 US Open), Sofia Kenin (2020 Australian Open).
Karolina Pliskova of Czechia, a former World No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam finalist (2016 US Open, 2021 Wimbledon), is also set to feature as the top-ranked player on the qualifying list. Raducanu has opted to skip the Olympic Games in a bid to focus on collecting ranking points on US hard courts and will start her campaign in America with a tough opening round match against Belgium’s Elise Mertens in Washington. Raducanu served one of her most impressive displays of 2024 against the Mertens at Wimbledon as she won 6-1 6-2 on Centre Court earlier this month. Her highly promising Wimbledon run was ended by Lulu Sun in the fourth round and she will look to build on the momentum she built up on grass courts with plenty of ranking points up for grabs over the next few weeks.
Raducanu doesn’t appear to have too many options other than to play qualifying in Toronto, with no other WTA Tour events on the schedule that week and the same scenario may face her when the WTA 1000 tournament in Cincinnati is played a week after Toronto. The initial entry list for qualifying in Cincinnati does not include Raducanu’s name, but she would expect to receive a wildcard into qualifying if she wishes to compete in the event. Her improved ranking means Raducanu will not need a wildcard to play at the US Open, so she could opt to fly back to the UK for a training block on home soil if she opts against playing qualifying in Toronto and Cincinnati.
