Emma Raducanu will be hoping that, at the US Open, she can finally enjoy the breakthrough run it feels like her form has been building towards this year.
After all, it really feels like 2025 has been the first year where we have seen her fitness and form stabilise, offering her the platform to play some brilliant tennis and claim some huge wins.
And yet, despite that, it is her two performances against Aryna Sabalenka, the top-ranked woman in the world, that arguably stand out more than most.
Having faced her in Wimbledon and Cincinnati this year, the progression Emma Raducanu has made is perfectly demonstrated through these matches.
In preparation for the US Open, the British number one sought to face the very best yet again, as they played out a practice set.
Emma Raducanu beats Aryna Sabalenka in US Open practice set
In a clash recorded on a phone, which did not give a full picture of every point, it was hard to decipher what the actual scoreline of this practice set was.
However, the result seemed clear, as more often than not, it was Raducanu winning the final point of a game before they would swap serves.
Naturally, it’s worth not reading into results like this too much, as Sabalenka will have been saving herself physically for the real competition in a few days’ time.
But, for Raducanu, this continued form against the world number one should give her so much additional confidence, proving that her recent battles with the Belarusian are no flukes.
She is here to challenge the world’s very best players in New York.
Emma Raducanu is building against Aryna Sabalenka
As touched upon, this latest practice set only proves that Raducanu is edging closer to Sabalenka’s level, even if she is still some distance away in the real matches.
But, her progress over the years is clear to see and can be perfectly tracked through her head-to-head against the three-time Grand Slam champion.
Raducanu has lost all three of their meetings, with the first coming last year at Indian Wells.
There, whilst she battled well, she never looked like troubling the number two seed, and she lost 6-3, 7-5.
However, in their second clash, at Wimbledon earlier this year, Raducanu actually found herself a break up in both sets despite going on to lose them both, the first on a tiebreak.
Then, most recently in Cincinnati, she lost two tiebreaks as she claimed the first set of her career against Sabalenka, losing 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-6 (5).
She is getting closer, and given Raducanu’s US Open draw, revenge could be on the cards should she fight her way to meet her in the fourth round.
