Italian Open: Emma Raducanu practices with former US Open semi-finalist ahead of tennis comeback in Rome

Liam McMillen 05 May 2026 8:00 PM

Emma Raducanu failed to reach the latter rounds of Indian Wells.

Emma Raducanu is stepping up her return to tennis after missing out on two months of action following her second round defeat at Indian Wells in March.

The British star has been sidelined by injury and illnesses since suffering a comprehensive straight sets defeat to Anisimova at the Californian event.

Raducanu has missed high-profile events in Miami and Madrid, but her comeback is set to take place at the Italian Open in Rome as she begins her preparations for Roland Garros.

The British number one has slipped to World No. 37 in the WTA Tour rankings, although she has still received seeded entry at the Italian Open.

Ahead of her first match for two months, Raducanu has been practicing alongside Emma Navarro at the Italian Masters tournament.

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Navarro has suffered similar difficulties to Raducanu on the WTA Tour this season and has been out of action since March’s ATX Open in Austin.

The American is ranked one place above Raducanu at present, so she will provide a similar test in practice to what the British star will face at the tournament.

Raducanu and Navarro have only met once on the WTA Tour in their careers, which came during the former’s impressive run to the Miami Open quarter-finals in 2025.

Emma Raducanu’s win-loss record in 2026: 7 / 7

The British star defeated Navarro in three sets in the second round, before dispatching McCartney Kessler and Amanda Anisimova, to reach the quarter-finals. Raducanu was defeated by Jessica Pegula in the last eight of the competition.

Raducanu will be hoping another association with Navarro can lead to similar results as she looks to get her season back on track at the Italian Open.

The star has been handed an extremely tough draw at the Italian Open, where she is drawn in the same section of the draw as Iva Jovic, Coco Gauff, and Marie Bouzková.

Raducanu will play either Solana Sierra or a lucky loser or qualifier in the second round of the Rome event, with Gauff a likely third round opponent.

Gauff and Raducanu have met on two occasions on the WTA Tour, with their previous meeting bizarrely also coming on the clay of the Italian Open.

Gauff defeated Raducanu in straight sets in the round of 16, which marked her second win against the British star, following a maiden victory at the 2023 Australian Open.

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Raducanu’s best-ever effort at the Italian Open came in 2025 as she reached the fourth round of the competition.

Before 2025, the Brit had a sole first round appearance on her resume.