“Raducanu and Boulter Set for Explosive Cincinnati Clash Ahead of US Open”

Emma Raducanu could face Katie Boulter in the second round of the Cincinnati Open, as both ramp up their preparations for the US Open.

Raducanu, seeded No 30, has received a first-round bye and will meet British rival Boulter, providing she comes through her first-round clash with Serbian Olga Danilovic.

Boulter holds a perfect head-to-head record against Raducanu, including a semi-final win on route to defending her Nottingham Open title in 2024.

Both players are using the WTA 1000 event as a key warm-up for the final Grand Slam of the season,

Their potential path to the final could include clashes with top seeds such as defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, world No 2 Coco Gauff and No 3 Iga Swiatek.

READ MORE : Feliciano Lopez Comments Emma Raducanu’s New Coach Might

Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, is hoping to continue her recent resurgence and secure a seeded spot ahead of her return to Flushing Meadows.

Her season highlights include a quarter-final run at the Miami Open, a round-of-16 finish at the Italian Open, and a last-eight showing at Queen’s Club.

Raducanu also reached the semi-finals at the Citi Open following a third-round exit at Wimbledon to world No 1 Sabalenka.

In the men’s draw, Britain’s Cameron Norrie received a first-round bye will face either Roberto Bautista Agut or Daniel Altmaier in round two.

Feliciano Lopez Comments Emma Raducanu’s New Coach Might Be Exactly What She Needs

Emma Raducanu’s new coach, Francisco Roig, comes with some huge praise from former World No. 12 Feliciano Lopez.

The British No. 1 has had her fair share of coaches in her short career, with Roig set to be her eighth in four years.

Raducanu has impressed in 2025, reaching her highest ranking since 2021 as the World No. 33 in the WTA Tour rankings.

Roig will join Raducanu for the Cincinnati Open as the Brit looks to secure seeded entry for the US Open. This is what the British star can expect from Roig, according to former Spanish tennis star Lopez.

Roig is famous for working with Rafael Nadal for most of his career, and Lopez described what he saw when he was working with the 22-time Grand Slam champion.

“Technically I think he’s the best coach in the world,” Lopez said in Christopher Clarey’s biography, The Master (via TalkSport).

The Spaniard described Roig’s techniques on court, describing a more hands-on approach. “He doesn’t use that much video analysis, but he sees things that the rest of the coaches don’t see,” said Lopez.

The star described exactly what he worked on while he worked with Nadal up until 2022, the time where the Spaniard won all his Grand Slams.

“He’s able to see things in Rafa’s forehand or movement that no other guys would notice, and it allowed them to be very specific and precise,” added Lopez.

With Raducanu’s resurgence in full swing, this could be exactly what the former US Open champion needs heading into the final part of the season.

Who else has Francisco Roig worked with?

Roig made headlines when he struck out on his own in 2022 and left Nadal after 17 years in the Spaniard’s team.

He joined up with Mateo Berrettini in December 2023, as the Italian was bouncing back from injuries and hiatus.

Berrettini won three titles under Roig, capturing the Grand Prix Hassan II, the Swiss Open, and the Generali Open Kitzbühel in 2024.

The pair split in October 2024 after 10 months together in a period where Berrettini climbed over 50 positions in the ATP Tour rankings.

Canadian Open 2025: Emma Raducanu continued to build momentum before next month’s US Open with a straight-set win over American Peyton Stearns at the Canadian Open.

Raducanu Storms into Washington Quarter-Finals with Dominant Win Over Naomi Osaka Ahead of US Open Return

Emma Raducanu delivered a statement performance at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, overpowering former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka 6-4, 6-2 to book her spot in the quarter-finals in Washington, D.C. The 2021 US Open champion showed sharp form as she builds momentum for her highly anticipated return to Flushing Meadows next month.

Raducanu, now set to face Greece’s Maria Sakkari — who edged out Emma Navarro 7-5, 7-6 — will continue her US Open preparations live on Sky Sports as she eyes another deep run on American hard courts.

The emphatic win not only strengthens Raducanu’s title hopes in D.C. but also sees her reclaim the British No. 1 ranking from Katie Boulter. After a third-round exit at Wimbledon dropped her to 46th in the world, Raducanu now climbs back on top among British women.

“I knew I had to be sharp,” Raducanu said in her post-match interview. “Naomi’s a four-time Slam winner and former world No. 1. She’s incredibly dangerous, especially on hard courts. I’m proud of how I managed my service games and handled the conditions.”

Raducanu seized control early, breaking Osaka in the fifth game of the first set after a costly double fault. She consolidated the break with a love hold, then closed out the set in just 38 minutes following a long forehand error from Osaka.

She continued her dominance into the second set, breaking Osaka immediately and fending off a break point to extend her lead to 3-1. Another Osaka double fault handed Raducanu a 4-1 advantage, and the Briton never looked back.

Raducanu saved a break point with a powerful first serve before converting her third match point to seal the victory. She ended the match with a commanding 76% win rate on her first serve and a solid 61% on her second, compared to just 45% from Osaka. The Japanese star struggled with inconsistency throughout, committing seven double faults and failing to capitalize on either of her two break chances.

With her sights now set on Sakkari, Raducanu looks poised and confident as she aims to reignite the spark that lit up the 2021 US Open.