Emma Raducanu has made a positive start in her first tournament since the Australian Open.
Raducanu lost in the second round of the Australian Open, missing out on the opportunity to play world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the third round.
Following her disappointing display in Melbourne, Raducanu announced that she had split from coach Francisco Roig after just six months working together.
The 2021 US Open champion made it clear that she was not happy with the way she was playing, but Raducanu has a big opportunity at the Transylvania Open as the top seed.
Despite winning her first round match in Romania, Raducanu could have been distracted by a tennis legend in the crowd.
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Raducanu beat Greet Minnen, 6-0 6-4, in a dominant first match since splitting from Roig at the Transylvania Open in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
The Briton received applause after the match for her performance, including from former world number one Simona Halep, who retired from tennis last year at her home tournament in Romania.
Halep has dismissed the chances of her coaching at the moment, but she is returning to the tennis spotlight as an honorary ambassador at the Transylvania Open this year.
This is significant for Raducanu, who never got to play Halep before she retired, but has spoken about how much she looked up to the two-time Grand Slam champion growing up.
In her post-match press conference after her first round win, Raducanu was asked about making her first appearance at the Transylvania Open since 2021 and what she thought about Halep being in the crowd.
“It’s amazing how much has happened in five years, I can’t believe it’s been that long,” responded Raducanu. “But I saw her in the front row of my match at the end and I heard the crowd support in the middle of the match.
“I knew she was there so I was trying not to think about it, not to get nervous. But it was really nice to know that she was there and present. But I haven’t had a chance to speak to her yet. I hope this week that I’m able to.”
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Emma Raducanu’s route to a potential first title since the US Open
Raducanu won the US Open in 2021, making history as the only qualifier to win a major title, but she has been unable to add to her trophy collection since then.
The 23-year-old has one of her best opportunities to end this drought as the top seed at the WTA 250 tournament in Cluj-Napoca.
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After beating Minnen in straight sets, Raducanu has set up a second round match with world number 97 Kaja Juvan.
The first seed Raducanu could play in Cluj-Napoca is Olga Danilovic, who beat Venus Williams at the Australian Open.
| Transylvania Open 2026 | Emma Raducanu’s Potential Opponent |
| First Round | Beat Greet Minnen 6-0 6-4 |
| Second Round | Kaja Juvan |
| Quarterfinal | Olga Danilovic (7)/Maja Chawalinska |
| Semifinal | Xinyu Wang (4)/Anna Bondar (8) |
| Final | Jaqueline Cristian (2)/Sorana Cirstea (3)/Anastasia Potapova (5) |
Perhaps the biggest threat in Raducanu’s half of the draw is fourth seed Xinyu Wang, who has made an impressive start to the year after reaching the final in Auckland, before making the fourth round of the Australian Open.
There are also some big threats in the other half of the draw, including defending champion Anastasia Potapova, who beat Raducanu at the Australian Open.
Before Raducanu can even think about winning the Transylvania Open title, she will have to focus on her match against Juvan, who she has never played before.
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