Who is Ann Li? Emma Raducanu’s first-round opponent at Eastbourne
Emma Raducanu will begin her final push before Wimbledon at the WTA 250 event in Eastbourne, looking to ease lingering back injury concerns.
The Brit reached the quarter-finals of the WTA 500 event at Queen’s, ultimately falling to Qinwen Zheng 6-2, 6-4.
Raducanu is currently sitting at world No 37 in the live rankings and will need a deep run in Eastbourne if she wishes to be seeded at the grass-court Grand Slam – with the Brit defending 108 points from 2024.
In her first match, the 2021 US Open champion will face American Ann Li, an opponent who she has never faced.
Li’s career highlights
Born in 2000, Li turned professional just two weeks after losing the girls’ Wimbledon final in 2017 (losing to Claire Liu), and lifted her first trophy at that level at an ITF $15K tournament in Evansville, Indiana.
Three years later, the American made her Grand Slam main draw debut at the Australian Open – winning all her qualifying matches – losing out to eventual champion Sofia Kenin in the second round.
Li reached the third round of the US Open later that year, falling to 13th seed Alison Riske. As a result of her consistent results, she entered the world’s top 100 for the first time in November 2020.
In 2021, the American won her first WTA tour title at the Tenerife Ladies Open, defeating Camila Osorio in the final to enter the world’s top 50. At the end of the season, she was nominated for the WTA’s ‘Newcomer of the Year’ award.
At the 2022 Miami Open, Li reached the third round of a WTA 1000 for the first time. In 2024, she won her first WTA 125 title at the BBVA Open Internacional de Valencia.
The American’s career-high ranking arrived in January 2022 when she rose to the world No 44 spot.
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Li’s 2025 season
Li began her season by playing three events in Australia, with mixed results.
The American lost in the first round of the ASB Classic, before reaching the second round of the Hobart International.
At the Australian Open, Li fell in the opening round to eventual champion Madison Keys, 6-4, 7-5 in an impressive performance.
The American next reached the final of the WTA 250 event in Singapore (losing to Elise Mertens), unable to win a match until the clay-court season.
Once on the clay, Li reached the third round of the Madrid Open – falling to Coco Gauff – with other highlights being a quarter-final run at the Morocco Open and a second-round appearance at the French Open.
Li participated at the Libema Open, defeating fifth seed Anastasia Potapova in her opening match before losing out to Suzan Lamens. The American was also due to play in Berlin, but withdrew due to a thigh injury.
In the rankings, Li is currently sitting at the 64th spot in the live standings – having finished 2024 as the world No 96.
