Emma Raducanu adds tournament to her schedule as she chases early 2026 rankings breakthrough

Ewan West 17 Dec 2025 11:08 AM

Emma Raducanu after her match

Emma Raducanu’s preparations for the 2026 Australian Open are continuing to take shape as she has signed up for another tournament early in the season.

The 2021 US Open champion has added the Hobart International to her pre-Australian Open schedule after it was confirmed that she would start her campaign at the United Cup.

Raducanu‘s participation in Hobart was confirmed on Wednesday on the tournament’s Instagram account.

“Grand Slam champ vibes at Hobart 2026, brought to us by Emma Raducanu,” the Hobart International Instagram account posted.

The Hobart International, which is a WTA 250 tournament, will be held from January 12-17 at the Domain Tennis Centre in Hobart, Tasmania. The event was founded in 1994, and American McCartney Kessler is the defending champion.

It will be Raducanu’s second tournament of the 2026 season after the United Cup — a mixed-gender team competition held across Brisbane, Sydney and Perth.

The 2026 United Cup will be held from January 2-11, and Raducanu will team up with ATP Tour star Jack Draper for Great Britain.

The British team has been drawn with Greece and Japan in Group E, with the matches in this group taking place in Perth.

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Raducanu is, therefore, set for a busy schedule in January as main draw action at the 2026 Australian Open will get underway on January 18 — the week after the Hobart International.

Why Emma Raducanu has an opportunity to climb the rankings early in 2026

Raducanu currently sits 29th in the WTA Rankings on 1,563 points, and her tournament schedule gives her a great chance of boosting her position prior to the Australian Open.

This is because Raducanu is not defending any ranking points until the Australian Open as she started her 2025 season at the Melbourne Grand Slam. The Brit had entered the WTA 250 tournament in Auckland this year, but she withdrew due to a back injury.

Players will have the opportunity to earn up to 500 ranking points at the United Cup, and Raducanu could profit if Great Britain make a deep run.

The 23-year-old will then have another opportunity to add to her points total at the Hobart International, which offers 250 points for the winner.

Some strong results could see Raducanu climb the rankings as she trails Sofia Kenin (No 28) by 26 points, Dayana Yastremska (No 27) by 41 points, Marta Kostyuk (No 26) by 96 points, and Paula Badosa (No 25) by 113 points.

The British No 1 will be defending 130 points at the Australian Open having reached the third round at this year’s event.