Emma Raducanu has revealed what she thinks she has already gained from her time at the Washington Open, despite being midway through the tournament.
There was a quiet confidence that a run like this was possible for the 2021 US Open champion, given she had reached the quarter-finals at this event just a year earlier.
However, few would have predicted the manner in which she has stormed into the semi-finals, and the players she has had to beat along the way to do that.
Naomi Osaka and Maria Sakkari have been, at different points in their careers, some of the biggest ball strikers on tour. And yet, it was Emma Raducanu dictating against them and winning both matches in straight sets.
And yet, despite this development in her game, there were two other things she felt weremore pertinent to outline as what she had gained from the Washington Open.
Emma Raducanu reveals what the Washington Open has taught her
Speaking to the WTA after yesterday’s win over the Greek tennis star, just after Raducanu rated Sakkari’s level during their match, attention then turned to personal progression.
After all, 2025 has been a year full of it for the 22-year-old, having made huge strides under the watchful eye of Mark Petchey.
Asked about how she dealt with the conditions to come back from 5-2 down in the second set, she admitted: “Yeah, it’s very valuable, and I think now I always have this match in DC to draw back on, you know.
“If, for the rest of the season, I’m complaining it’s too hot and it’s not like this, then I have something to, you know, reference back to and be like, okay, you came through those conditions.
“Also, experience of coming back from 5-2 down, you know, it is possible. So it does help in the bank of experience and, yeah, I’m really pleased with being in the semi-finals.”
Where will Emma Raducanu be ranked after the Washington Open?
As noted earlier, Raducanu is already guaranteed to see a rankings increase given she has surpassed last year’s Washington Open run to the quarter-finals.
What makes this even more exciting is that, in 2024, this was the only event she played in preparation for the US Open, meaning the Toronto Open and Cincinnati Open will provide her with huge opportunities to further skyrocket her ranking.
So, having made it to the quarter-finals in DC, the youngster is already guaranteed an additional 195 ranking points, bumping her overall tally up to 1406.
If she were to beat Anna Kalinskaya to make it to the final, that would rise to 1536, which could see her rise to 29th in the world.
And, if she were to go all the way and win the event, which would mark only her second title since that 2021 US Open, she would instantly leapfrog to 1711 ranking points, and to around 26th in the world.
With such a foundation, this North American swing of the tour could prove to be supremely profitable for Raducanu.
