Emma Raducanu gets a double rankings lift as former top 10 star sets her a bold target

Kevin Palmer 14 Jan 2026 9:31 AM

Emma Raducanu roars with delight

Emma Raducanu was facing a daunting schedule at the WTA 250 event in Hobart after her opening match was delayed due to rain, but the Brit has been handed a huge boost after her second round opponent was forced to withdraw.

The 2021 US Open champion and top seed in the tournament was 4-2 down against Camila Osorio in the second set on Tuesday when rain forced an early end to play in Tasmania, but she showed encouraging form to seal a 6-3, 7-6(2) win.

“I don’t think I’ve slept over many matches in between so that was also a new one for me. I thought Camila played an incredible match overall. Such good defence, and then stepped in when I dropped the ball short.

“I’m just really pleased with how I came out today and turned it around and then stuck in during the tie-break.”

Raducanu would have faced a quick turnaround for her next match as Magdalena Frech was due to be her second round opponent, but the Polish player was forced to withdraw due to injury and that has opened the door for the top seed to make big progress in Hobart.

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She will now face a quarter-final against Australian wildcard Taylah Preston, who is ranked at No 204 in the world.

This is now a big chance for Raducanu to make progress and potentially reach her first WTA Tour final, justifying her decision to play the week before the Australian Open.

Raducanu has been reluctant to play in WTA 250 events over the course of her career, but playing lower ranked players and picking up wins is recipe for success and in the opinion of former world No 7 Barbara Schett, the 23-year-old can look forward to 2026 with real optimism.

“We all know what she can do and we hope she can stay fit,” Schett told Tennis365, as she prepares to join the TNT Sports team at the Australian Open.

“She had the injury problem at the United Cup and didn’t play (against Naomi Osaka), but if she can stay healthy then we know she is a top player.

“In Francisco Riog, she has a phenomenal coach and if she can stay with him, he can guide her high up in the rankings.

“She belongs higher up up in the rankings than she is now in the low 20s, but she will improve.

“She is still so young and will improve and it’s great for British tennis to see her around as it’s not been a good time for Jack Draper.”

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Former Grand Slam champion Mark Woodforde also gave Tennis365 his verdict on Raducanu’s hopes of 2026, as he was full of optimism for the British No 1.

“We shouldn’t judge her on that one result at the US Open,” Woodforde told Tennis365 in his role as an ambassador at the Bank of China Hong Kong Open.

“If she can replicate what she did in New York, that would be brilliant, but it was probably something that happened too soon, too quickly in her career.

“It’s not that you wouldn’t want it to happen to you, but in a country that has been starved of female players and desperate for her to do well, it must have been very difficult for her.

“What was encouraging was that over there were times last year when she seemed to be starting to build the foundation again to show some of that form that was discovered at the US Open a few years back.

“It is a hard one to judge right now, but I’m sure UK and British tennis praying on their hands and knees that she is successful. She has put some life back into British women’s tennis and the momentum for players like Katie Boulter has been inspired by the success of Emma Raducanu.”

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