Emma Raducanu achieved a couple of notable things during her Miami Open run and one of those is securing returning to the top-50 for the first time in nearly three years.
The Briton, who entered Miami ranked 60th in the world, made it past her opening four matches at the tournament to book her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal spot. She also wasn’t far away from making the semifinal but world No. 4 Jessica Pegula ultimately proved too strong and overcame the Briton 6-4 6-7 (3) 6-2.
In live rankings, Raducanu is up 12 spots – which means that she is expected to be ranked at least at No. 48 on Monday. When that happens, it will mark the Briton being a top-50 player for the first time since exiting the top-50 club in 2022 September. If you remember well, the 2021 US Open champion left the top-50 after seeing her title defense at Flushing Meadows end with a first-round defeat.
Raducanu ‘proud’ after a very positive Miami run
In South Beach, the former world No. 10 didn’t only reach her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal and secured a top-50 comeback. Also, she earned her third top-10 win and her first top-10 win on hard courts by beating Emma Navarro in the second round.
“I am very proud of how I competed; Pegula played at a high level from start to finish. Despite the loss, I only take positive things from this week. I played great matches in Miami to reach the quarterfinals, and it’s a nice feeling,” Raducanu said after concluding her Miami run.
It is worth mentioning that the 22-year-old felt dizzy and nearly fainted toward the end of the second set versus Pegula. While she received treatment and continued the match, she didn’t manage to complete her comeback.
Meanwhile, this week, the organizers of the WTA 250 tournament in Rouen announced that Raducanu would start her clay season there on April 14th. The Briton doesn’t have a lot of points to defend during the clay season so it will be another good opportunity for her to keep climbing up the rankings.
Tennis World USA