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Emma Raducanu burst onto the tennis scene in 2021, winning the US Open after entering as a qualifier and ranked 150th in the world. At the time, many pundits and (new) fans thought they were witnessing the emergence of a new superstar of the sport. Things haven’t quite panned out that way for Raducanu, however, as a combination of injuries, poor form and regular coaching changes have meant she hasn’t come close to winning another Grand Slam event since.
In this article, we’ll first take a look back at Raducanu’s outstanding success at Flushing Meadows in 2021. We’ll then attempt to assess whether the Canada-born Brit, who is still just 22 years old, can battle her way back to the top of the tennis tree and win at least one more Grand Slam tournament.
How Raducanu Won the 2021 US Open
🇬🇧 @EmmaRaducanu has added her name to the history books. pic.twitter.com/VSUHK7H8a6
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 11, 2021
As mentioned, Raducanu was a relative unknown when she qualified for the 2021 US Open. She had had a decent run at Wimbledon in June that year, making it to the fourth round, but she’d retired during the match after feeling sick and short of breath. She certainly caught the eye of a few fans and pundits during Wimbledon, but was generally earmarked as ‘one for the future’.
There were few who expected her to make much of an impact on the other side of the pond when the US Open rolled around, especially after Raducanu had changed coaches (to one of her youth mentors, Andrew Richardson) barely a month before the tournament was due to commence. Indeed, the young Brit had to win three qualifying matches before even making it to the main US Open draw. She achieved those three victories (over Bibiane Schoofs, Mariam Bolkvadze and Mayar Sherif) in some style and didn’t drop a single set… something that would become something of a habit at Flushing Meadows.
Opponents Raducanu Beat
Breaking all kinds of records along the way, Raducanu took the US Open by storm and became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam event. She also became the first British woman to win one of the four Grand Slam titles since 1977 (when Virginia Wade took the Wimbledon crown). Here are the opponents she beat along the way:
- First Round – Stefanie Vögele (6-2, 6-3)
- Second Round – Zhang Shuai (6-2, 6-4)
- Third Round – Sara Sorribes Tormo (6-0, 6-1)
- Fourth Round – Shelby Rogers (6-2, 6-1)
- Quarter-final – Belinda Bencic (6-3, 6-4)
- Semi-final – Maria Sakkari (6-1, 6-4)
- Final – Leylah Fernandez (6-4, 6-3)
Generally speaking, qualifiers don’t tend to get particularly favourable draws in Grand Slams (or indeed any tournaments). But the stars aligned amazingly well for Raducanu and the highest seed she had to face was 11th seed Swiss player Belinda Bencic, whom she beat with ease in the quarters. The likes of top seed Ashleigh Barty and other highly ranked contenders Naomi Osaka, Karolína Plíšková and Elina Svitolina failed to make it past the quarters, while Aryna Sabalenka lost to Fernandez in the semis.
Can Raducanu Repeat Her Grand Slam Success? If So… How?
Since her success in the US Open, Raducanu has only made it past the third round in a Grand Slam once (at Wimbledon in 2024 when she made it to the fourth round). We went out at the second-round stage in the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon in 2022. At the 2022 US Open, as the defending champion, the Brit suffered the ignominy of getting knocked out in the first round (in straight sets to Alizé Cornet).
Former Injuries
Injuries put paid to much of the 2023 season for Raducanu and she missed three of the four Grand Slams and was knocked out in the second round of the other (the Aussie Open). Things were better in 2024, at least in terms of time on the court, though she again went out in the second round at the Australian Open. After missing the French Open, she equalled her best run at Wimbledon, making the fourth round, but once again fluffed her lines at Flushing Meadows, going out in the opening round.
2025 So Far…
So far in 2025, things have been promising to an extent. Though still no real joy Down Under, she at least made the third round this time around. The 22-year-old also made the quarter-finals of a WTA 1000 tournament for the first time, the Miami Open. But one thing that will concern the young Brit’s fans is how often she changes her coaches.
Current Coach
As mentioned in a recent BBC article, Raducanu has apparently “paused” her search for a new coach and is instead continuing with a part-time, informal partnership with Mark Petchey. Most top-level tennis players would find this a particularly troubling situation as the elite players tend to want stability and continuity to make their preparations for tournaments as seamless as possible. But Raducanu apparently relishes the less formal approach. Whether this translates into success on the court is another matter, however.
Conclusion: Was US Open Once in a Lifetime Victory?
It’s easy to suggest that Raducanu ought to stick with a coaching team for more than a few months and seek to build a routine that gets the best out of her mind and body. But ultimately, no one truly knows her mind better than the player herself, and if she feels happier calling the shots on who coaches her (and how and when), who is anyone else to question it? On the other hand, while this rather unconventional approach might feel better to the player, the flipside might well be that she never quite reaches her potential and never again tastes the success she experienced at the US Open.
Given that things fell into place so extraordinarily in 2021, not least with many of the world’s top-ranked players at the time underperforming, it is of course very possible that Raducanu might not be quite as good a player as people might believe. She didn’t beat any top-10 seeds on her path to glory and she has only made it past the fourth round in any tournament twice since – once in the aforementioned Miami Open, and once in the Billie Jean King Cup in 2024, although that is a team event.
Overall, we think the British star is more likely than not to end her career with just a single Grand Slam to her name. It’s up to her to prove us wrong, but unless she gains some coaching stability and – crucially – consistency on the court, we fear her career highlight might well have come and gone already.