Emma Raducanu is set to face Sayaka Ishii in the opening round of the competition on Wednesday. Most of her WTA ranking points stem from last year’s grass court season, where she reached the fourth round at Wimbledon (240 points), the semifinals at the Nottingham Open (98 points), and the quarterfinals in Eastbourne (108 points).
With the Billie Jean King Cup approaching, Raducanu has a crucial opportunity to regain her form ahead of a packed schedule. The British No. 2 will be eager to redeem herself after last year’s early exit at the Madrid Open, where she suffered a first-round defeat to Maria Lourdes Carle, earning just 10 points.
Next, Raducanu will have the chance to defend her points at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, where she secured 108 points last year by reaching the quarterfinals. She will then return to the U.S. for the Mubadala City DC Open in Washington, where she regained momentum last season with another quarterfinal finish (108 points) before heading to the U.S. Open.
Despite her previous success in New York, Raducanu’s title defense crumbled in the opening round last year, as she fell to Sofia Kenin. This time, she is determined to deliver a stronger performance.
Afterward, Raducanu has the option to compete in the Asian leg of the WTA 500 season. Last year, she made an impression by reaching the quarterfinals of the Korea Open (108 points), a result she may look to improve upon.
Assessing her recent performance at Indian Wells, Raducanu reflected on areas for improvement:
“I’ll need to improve starting the point. That’s a big part of tennis. I can do that a lot better. I could improve being more aggressive and having a better quality of shot going forward into the court. I could improve every area of my game after today’s performance.”
As she embarks on a busy stretch of tournaments, Raducanu will be looking to build confidence and reclaim her place among the WTA’s elite.
