Improving Raducanu out to prove she can mix it with the elite

British No 1 knows that battle with Rybakina will be acid test of her recent progress

- Tumaini Carayol

At the start of a new season in January 2022, Emma Raducanu began her second full year on the WTA tour swimming in doubt. Not only was she trying to take steps forward after a life-changing summer, her off-season had been ravaged by contracting Covid-19, which forced her off the court for weeks in December. In her first match of the season, she found herself up against Elena Rybakina in Sydney. She left the court with just one game to her name, losing 6-0, 6-1.

That first encounter between Raducanu and Rybakina was a good representation of the difficulties Raducanu has had to navigate: the pressure from her sudden rise, her underpowered game against the best players in the world and the fact that there was always another physical issue around the corner.

As she faces the Kazakh again today, the British No 1's form underscores the consistent progress she has finally made in recent months. Raducanu has lost only six games in her first two matches at the US Open against Ena Shibahara and Janice Tjen and is playing quality tennis, serving confidently and pressuring her opponents by taking the ball early and forcing herself inside the baseline.