Emma Raducanu could be seeded at the US Open for the first time since her title defence in 2022.
Raducanu, who is now coached by Francisco Roig, has impressed recently and has subsequently climbed the rankings.
This included at the Cincinnati Open, where Raducanu was praised despite losing to Aryna Sabalenka.
As a result of Raducanu’s close-fought defeat to Sabalenka, it is currently unclear as to whether she will be seeded for the US Open.
Why Emma Raducanu could actually benefit from being seeded at the US Open
There are 32 seeds in Grand Slam singles draws, but after the withdrawals of Paula Badosa and Qinwen Zheng from the US Open, the current cut-off will be the player ranked at world number 34.
In the live WTA rankings, Raducanu is currently in 34th position and could be seeded for the US Open depending on what happens in Cincinnati now that she has exited the tournament.
At Grand Slam tournaments this year, all of Raducanu’s losses have come against Sabalenka (Wimbledon) or Iga Swiatek (Australian Open and Roland Garros).
If Raducanu becomes seeded at the US Open, she will be guaranteed not to face a seeded player until at least the third round, which would be a positive.
However, all seeds from No.25-No.32 are guaranteed to play one of the top eight seeds in the third round, which could be one of Sabalenka, Coco Gauff or Swiatek.
Raducanu has never beaten the top three ranked players in her 10 previous matches against them, leaving her in a bit of a predicament.
If the former US Open champion is unseeded, then she could play a seed from the first round and will definitely be drawn to play a seeded player for at least the second round.
Although she will likely play a seeded player earlier on in the draw, there is an 81% chance that she avoids Sabalenka, Swiatek and Gauff before the fourth round of the US Open.
Who can stop Emma Raducanu being seeded at the US Open?
With Raducanu currently holding the last seeded position, she can still be removed from those positions due to ongoings at the Cincinnati Open.
There are still four players who can now realistically dethrone Raducanu from being seeded for the US Open this year.
Veronika Kudermetova, Ashlyn Krueger and Jessica Bouzas Maneiro only need to win one more match to overtake Raducanu, but they all play seeded players next.
| Live Ranking | WTA Player | Cincinnati Open status |
| 34 | Emma Raducanu | Lost in the third round |
| 35 | Veronika Kudermetova | In the third round – can overtake Raducanu if she beats Clara Tauson |
| 36 | Xinyu Wang | Lost in the second round – cannot overtake Raducanu |
| 37 | Rebecca Sramkova | Lost in the second round – cannot overtake Raducanu |
| 38 | Ashlyn Krueger | In the third round – can overtake Raducanu if she beats Jasmine Paolini |
| 39 | Jessica Bouzas Maneiro | In the fourth round – can overtake Raducanu if she beats Aryna Sabalenka |
| 40 | Magda Linette | In the third round – needs to win two more matches to beat Raducanu |
Since Raducanu won the US Open in 2021, she has failed to win a single match at the New York major.
Regardless of whether she is seeded or not for the New York major, Raducanu will be hoping for a kind draw, before the US Open main draw gets underway on Sunday, August 24.
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