World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has returned to action at the Cincinnati Open. In her second round match, she defeated Markéta Vondroušová 7-5, 6-1 to advance to the third round, where she will face former US Open champion Emma Raducanu.
The Brit, who is slowly working her way back to her top form, won her second-round match against Olga Danilovic with a 6-3, 6-2 score.
Aryna Sabalenka Has Made Her Thoughts Clear on the Contest With Raducanu
After her second-round victory, the World No. 1 appeared in an interview with the ‘Tennis Channel’. She admitted that her match against the Brit will likely be a “challenge.”
“We had a great battle at Wimbledon,” Sabalenka told the interviewer Prakash Amritraj, recalling their last encounter.
Sabalenka defeated Raducanu in the third round of Wimbledon with a 7-6 (7-6) 6-4 score after exactly two hours. Although their match was straight-set, it was highly competitive from start to finish.
“She is an amazing player and she’s been playing really well lately,” Sabalenka said of Raducanu. “I am super excited to face her on a hard court.” The duo first faced off on a hard court at Indian Wells in 2024, which Sabalenka also won in straight sets.
“I don’t remember our match at Indian Wells, but I think now she is playing much better,” Sabalenka noted. “It is going to be a challenge, and I love to accept such tough challenges.”
She continued, “Definitely, I will have to work hard for every point.”
The Cincinnati Open marks the first time a resurgent Raducanu has been seeded at a WTA 1000 event since 2022.
Emma Raducanu Continuing Her Upward Surge Ahead of US Open 2025
Raducanu, heading into the Cincinnati Open, appears to have recaptured the form that made her a dominant force in late 2020 when she claimed her first and only Grand Slam at the US Open.
Although injuries derailed her career since that momentous win, she has slowly worked her way into the top 40 of the PIF-WTA rankings.
The Brit also performed well at the recently concluded Canadian Open, where she made it to the Round of 32 before being eliminated by Wimbledon finalist Amanda Anisimova. Raducanu’s comeback began in early 2024 after an injury hiatus, marked by a cautious return to competition.
Starting with a wildcard at the Auckland Open, she showed glimpses of her talent but faced early exits in several tournaments, including the Australian Open.
Raducanu’s form improved notably at this year’s Miami Open, where she reached her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal and re-entered the top 50 of the rankings. After Wimbledon, her strong results continued at the Washington Open, where she advanced to the semifinals in both singles and doubles.
Throughout the year, Raducanu has shown steady progress, signaling a return to becoming a top contender.
