Chris Evert has predicted if Emma Raducanu or Sofia Kenin will emerge victorious at the US Open.
The pair will go head to head for the first time in round one in New York on Tuesday.
Both Emma Raducanu and Sofia Kenin are former Grand Slam champions and are looking to rediscover the form that took them to the biggest title of their respective careers.
This is a tricky match for both players to start a major and it has the makings of both an evenly-contested and exciting contest at Flushing Meadows.
Who does Chris Evert think will win out of Emma Raducanu and Sofia Kenin at the US Open?
Chris Evert appeared on ESPN to preview the upcoming edition of the US Open, an event she won on six occasions as a player.
Raducanu is entering the tournament on the back of some solid results over the summer on the grass and a quarter-final showing at Washington’s Citi Open.
Kenin on the other hand, has struggled throughout the 2024 season and she has lost four of her last five matches since Iga Swiatek defeated her at Wimbledon.
Taking her form into account and the fact she seems more settled now than earlier this season, Evert thinks the former British number one will defeat the 2020 Australian Open winner.
“Raducanu and against Kenin, two former major champions play each other in the first round. That’s going to be a popcorn match. I kind of have to give the edge to Raducanu,” Evert said.
“I just think she is on the up and at them, she is playing better, she seems to have her life sorted out, her coaching team sorted out and she gets a lot of inspiration playing here.”
The fire is burning bright within Emma Raducanu again ahead of the US Open
In the years since she shocked the world to win the 2021 US Open, Raducanu has struggled with injuries and everything that came with becoming an overnight superstar.
She missed nine months of action during which she underwent surgery on her ankle and both wrists. Raducanu returned to the tour in January, but she did not begin to find some consistency until the grass court season.
The Bromley local thoroughly enjoyed playing in front of her home fans and now she is back at the venue of her greatest triumph, Raducanu is in good spirits.
“I just play so much better when I’m happy and putting my personality out there,” Raducanu told Sky Sports. “I think I’ve been playing a lot freer in the last month.
“I have been expressing myself, I’ve been fighting and there has been a lot of passion, I’ve been feisty. And that’s me. I’m really tenacious and gritty. I just feel a real fire back and desire. I’ve got that spark back which is what I’m most pleased about.”
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