Emma Raducanu ‘can deliver shock waves’ at US Open after Aryna Sabalenka battle
Emma Raducanu has been lauded for her “great competitive effort” in her narrow Cincinnati Open defeat to Aryna Sabalenka by a legendary coach.
Raducanu pushed Sabalenka, the world No 1 and a three-time Grand Slam champion, hard in all three sets and came within three points of victory.
The 22-year-old also gave Sabalenka a stern test in the third round of Wimbledon last month as she fell 6-7(6), 4-6 after having leads in both sets.
The 2021 US Open champion holds three wins over players ranked in the top 10 at the time: Jessica Pegula in Eastbourne (2024), Maria Sakkari at Wimbledon (2024) and Emma Navarro in Miami (2025).
Raducanu’s third round result in Cincinnati has lifted her from 39th to 35th in the Live WTA Rankings. The top 32 players are seeded at Grand Slams, so Raducanu will need three higher-ranked players to withdraw if she is to be seeded at the US Open.
Rick Macci — a former coach of Serena and Venus Williams — has backed Raducanu to “deliver shock waves” at the US Open.
“Great competitive effort from Emma against Sab. The the secret sauce with a win or loss,” the American wrote on Twitter.
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“She never lost the skill just the will. Now all about the battle and harder to rattle. Can deliver shock waves in New York by going into each fight with a knife not a fork.”
In an interview with Tennis365, Macci predicted that Raducanu will return to the top 10 of the WTA Rankings.
“It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish. One thousand percent, she is a top ten talent. And let’s face it, there’s a fine line between winning and losing. There’s a fine line with that confidence,” said the renowned coach.
“And as she gets more confident and she starts beating the top players, not only can she be in the top 10, she can definitely contend for a Grand Slam, because she has enough game, because she’s done it before. Okay, she’s done it before. So, 100%.
“As long as she has the passion, the belief is getting stronger and stronger because you don’t lose the talent, you just lose the confidence and then maybe a little fitness along the way, but you can always get that back.”
