As the 2025 US Open charges into the third round at Flushing Meadows, the tennis world is buzzing with excitement over Emma Raducanu’s electrifying resurgence. The 2021 champion, now 22 and ranked No. 35, has stormed through her opening matches with a newfound ferocity, earning high praise from former world No. 9 Andrea Petkovic, who has declared her a dark horse for the title. With a blockbuster clash against 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina looming on Friday, August 29, Raducanu’s blend of confidence, tactical evolution, and physical resilience positions her as a formidable contender in New York.
Raducanu’s journey back to prominence has been a rollercoaster since her fairy-tale 2021 US Open triumph, where she became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam without dropping a set. Injuries, including surgeries on both wrists and an ankle in 2023, and a string of coaching changes tested her resolve. Yet, her 2025 campaign has been a revelation, with more WTA Tour-level wins than any previous season and a climb to the cusp of the top 30. Her first two rounds at this year’s US Open showcased her revitalized game: a 6-1, 6-2 demolition of qualifier Ena Shibahara in just 62 minutes, followed by a 6-2, 6-1 rout of in-form Indonesian Janice Tjen in exactly an hour. “I’m particularly happy, because I felt like my opponent was playing really good tennis,” Raducanu said after her win over Tjen. “I thought that she was very dangerous and any ball that I put midcourt was going to be punished. So I’m very pleased with how I kept dictating the points.”
Petkovic, speaking on Sky Sports, pinpointed Raducanu’s summer performances as evidence of her evolution. “Being able to do that week in, week out, that separates the good from the great. And I think Emma has taken a next level and a next step in her career,” she said. The German highlighted a pivotal moment during the North American hardcourt swing: Raducanu’s semifinal run in Washington, followed by immediate travel and a victory in Montreal. “I had never seen her in a long stretch of her career back up a good result. Usually, her body would fail her, or she’d feel too tired to perform consistently,” Petkovic noted. “But in Washington, she played really well and made the semifinals. She flew the next day, it was a crazy travel day, and stepped on court the next day to win her match.” This resilience, coupled with Raducanu’s aggressive baseline play under new coach Francisco Roig, has Petkovic convinced. “She’s only dropped, I think, five games in total in two matches,” she added, signaling Raducanu’s readiness for a deep run.
Raducanu’s game has matured significantly. Her serve, refined with Roig’s guidance, was a standout against Tjen, where she landed 79% of first serves and fired multiple aces. “I thought that I served very well, and yeah, I put quite a few aces on the board today,” she said. Her ability to take the ball early, a tactic reminiscent of her 2021 title run, has returned, as Petkovic observed: “At the US Open she won because she was so much up on the baseline and taking the balls and her returns so early.” This aggressive approach overwhelmed Tjen, whose Ash Barty-like spin and slice were smothered by Raducanu’s relentless cross-court backhands and proactive court positioning. “She’s matured, her game has improved, and her physical resilience is so much stronger,” Petkovic said, reflecting on Raducanu’s growth since her 2021 whirlwind, which saw her juggle A-Level exams, a Wimbledon fourth-round run, and a seven-week American tour.
The Rybakina match is a litmus test. The ninth seed, known for her thunderous serve and groundstrokes, demolished Aryna Sabalenka in Cincinnati, but her second-round win over Tereza Valentova revealed vulnerabilities, with three service breaks conceded. Raducanu, who acknowledges Rybakina’s prowess—“She’s been at the top of the game for so long and very dominant and has big weapons, has a huge serve and big groundstrokes”—is undaunted. Her competitive showings against Sabalenka at Wimbledon and Cincinnati, where she pushed the world No. 1 to tiebreaks, bolster her confidence. “I have to take confidence from my matches against Aryna,” she said, while noting, “Elena is a different opponent. She beat Aryna in Cincinnati in straight sets. It’s going to be a tough match.”
Off the court, Raducanu’s mental fortitude has grown. Despite past struggles with stalkers and media scrutiny, she’s embraced a balanced mindset, focusing on daily progress over comparisons to 2021. “It’s always in the back of your mind, but it’s more just being aware of those thoughts and then not letting it crash your day,” she said. With Roig’s “strike first” philosophy and a supportive team, including chiropractor Jerome Poupel, Raducanu is poised to challenge the elite. Petkovic’s bold prediction—“Emma has taken a next step in her career”—resonates as Raducanu eyes a fourth-round berth, potentially against Jasmine Paolini or Markéta Vondroušová, and a shot at rewriting her US Open legacy.
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