Emma Raducanu could face world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka for the first time since their dramatic Wimbledon showdown, with the pair on a collision course at the Cincinnati Open
Emma Raducanu is set for a potential showdown with Aryna Sabalenka after the Wimbledon drama that left the British star in tears. Raducanu heads to the Cincinnati Open with a first-round bye and will take on either Katie Boulter or Olga Danilovic in round two.
Should she triumph, a rematch with world No.1 Sabalenka is on the cards. It would be their first face-off since the dramatic third-round meeting at SW19, which Sabalenka won 7-6(6) 6-4.
The match was slightly overshadowed by a disputed call when a Sabalenka serve at 2-4, 15-0 seemingly went wide but wasn’t called. Raducanu returned the serve, but Sabalenka scored with a forehand winner and held her serve. Raducanu was overheard querying the chair umpire: “You saw it out as well, right?”
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Post-match, a tearful Raducanu cast doubts on Wimbledon’s electronic line-calling system (ELC), saying: “That call was for sure out. It’s kind of disappointing, the tournament here, that the calls can be so wrong, but for the most part they’ve been OK. I’ve had a few in my other matches, too, that have been very wrong. Hopefully they can fix that.”
The ELC has become the norm, with the ATP Tour fully adopting it and many WTA events following suit, eliminating the need for line judges. This technology is also used at the Australian Open and the US Open. The French Open remains the exception, not employing any electronic systems.
During the same match, Raducanu also had an issue with her racket. She explained: “In the first set as well, I was struggling with the tension [of the strings]. I felt like the ball was flying.
“I had all my rackets strung up fresh for the match, and it just felt like it was pinging completely different. It could have been a little bit because the roof was on. I sent a couple rackets to be restrung.”
Sabalenka has had similar issues herself and stressed that preparation was key to avoiding problems in the future. She said: “That’s more [reason] to have an extra racket, maybe not in your bag, but your team.
“For example, my team, they always have like two extra rackets with the higher tension and two extra rackets with lower tension. They prepare it. You don’t have to wait for another racket.”
Meanwhile, Raducanu has begun working with Rafael Nadal’s ex-coach, Francis Roig. The 22-year-old has been working with fellow Brit Mark Petchey on an informal basis since March and has now added Roig to her team.
Roig, who spent most of his career shaping Nadal’s game alongside Rafael’s Uncle Toni, contributing to 22 Grand Slam victories, is now lending his expertise to Raducanu.
Speaking to Sky Sports about her collaboration with Roig before the Cincinnati Open, Raducanu said: “It’s going really well, it’s my second day here with him here, but I did a few days in London before I came out here. He’s obviously got a bank of experience and I’m very excited to continue working with him and to have him on my side.”
Roig joins Raducanu’s coaching team as she gears up for the US Open, which she memorably won in 2021.
