Emma Raducanu’s 2025 Cincinnati Open campaign came to a dramatic close in the third round, but the British star’s performance at the WTA 1000 event has reignited excitement about her prospects heading into the US Open. Facing world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in a thrilling three-set battle, Raducanu showcased her resilience and growing confidence, earning valuable ranking points and a significant prize money haul. The 22-year-old’s journey in Mason, Ohio, from August 7 to August 18, 2025, at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, underscored her potential to reclaim a spot among tennis’s elite, despite falling short in a match that captivated fans under the sweltering Cincinnati heat.
Seeded 30th, Raducanu received a first-round bye in the expanded 96-player draw, a format change that elevated the tournament’s intensity. In the second round, she dispatched Serbia’s Olga Danilovic in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, displaying the aggressive baseline play that defined her 2021 US Open triumph. “I’m just so excited to have him on board, so much experience,” Raducanu said of her new fitness trainer, Yutaka Nakamura, whose work with Maria Sharapova and Naomi Osaka has bolstered her physical preparation. Her victory over Danilovic set up a blockbuster third-round clash with Sabalenka, a rematch of their intense Wimbledon encounter earlier in the summer.
The third-round showdown, played on August 11, 2025, was a three-hour epic, with Sabalenka edging out a 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 7-6 (7-5) victory. Raducanu’s performance was a testament to her progress, as she pushed the reigning champion to the limit, taking a set off her for the first time in their three meetings. “To have pushed her on a hard court like that, I’m pretty proud,” Raducanu reflected, noting the contrast to their grass-court battle at Wimbledon, where she fell 7-6 (6), 6-4. Despite distractions, including a controversial moment involving on-court coaching rules and a child’s cries in the stands, Raducanu’s focus and powerful backhand kept her in contention. “I think starting the point is a big takeaway,” she said, highlighting her need to sharpen her first serve against top-tier opponents like Sabalenka, who praised her tenacity: “She played such incredible tennis and she pushed me really hard.”
Raducanu’s Cincinnati run earned her 65 ranking points for reaching the third round, a significant boost as she had no points to defend from 2024, when she did not receive a wildcard and skipped qualifying. Starting the tournament at world No. 38 in the WTA Live Rankings, her 65 points, added to her 1,319-point tally, provisionally lifted her to No. 36, with a total of 1,384 points. While she fell short of the top 32 needed for a US Open seeding, her performance strengthens her position as she heads to Flushing Meadows, where she made history as a qualifier in 2021. A deeper run, such as reaching the fourth round (120 points) or quarterfinals (215 points), could have pushed her closer to a seeded spot, but her Cincinnati showing signals a positive trajectory.
Financially, Raducanu’s efforts translated to a prize money haul of $32,840 for her third-round appearance, part of the Cincinnati Open’s $5,152,599 total purse. This payout, a notable increase from the $26,770 earned for a third-round exit in 2022, reflects the tournament’s 2025 prize money boost. Combined with her 2025 earnings of $889,221—bolstered by $71,205 in singles and $11,550 in doubles from the Washington Open—Raducanu’s Cincinnati prize money pushes her career total to approximately $4.7 million. Her second-round win alone netted $18,200, and advancing one round further nearly doubled her earnings, underscoring the financial rewards of deep runs at WTA 1000 events. Had she upset Sabalenka to reach the fourth round, she would have pocketed $56,678, with quarterfinalists earning $106,900 and the champion claiming $752,275.
Despite the loss, Raducanu’s Cincinnati performance offers optimism. Her straight-sets win over Danilovic and competitive showing against Sabalenka, coupled with her recent victories over top players like Jessica Pegula and Maria Sakkari, highlight her growing consistency. The guidance of new coach Francisco Roig and trainer Nakamura has sharpened her game, particularly her forehand and movement. As the last British singles player standing in Cincinnati—after early exits by Katie Boulter, Cameron Norrie, Sonay Kartal, and Jacob Fearnley—Raducanu carries national hopes into the US Open. With the final Grand Slam of 2025 looming from August 24 to September 7, her Cincinnati run proves she’s ready to compete with the best, setting the stage for a potential encore of her 2021 heroics.
Leave a Reply