Category: Articles

  • WTA Rankings: Gauff No 2, Swiatek’s lowest position since 2022, Boulter and Raducanu battle heats up

    The Italian Open produced a major shock with defending champion Iga Swiatek losing early and it has had a major impact on her position in the WTA Rankings.

    Jasmine Paolini was the big winner in Rome as she delighted fans by becoming only the second Italian woman to win the tournament in the Open Era.

    Having earned 990 points (she dropped 10 points from 2024), Paolini received a big boost in the rankings as she moved up one place to No 4 while beaten finalist Coco Gauff returned to No 2.

    After back-to-back runners-up finishes as she lost the Madrid Open final against Aryna Sabalenka, Gauff is back at No 2 for the first time since August last year.

    Sabalenka still leads the rankings by a comfortable margin despite her quarter-final loss to Zheng Qinwen as the three-time Grand Slam winner has a mammoth 3,820-point advantage over Gauff with Jessica Pegula another 620 points adrift in third place after she climbed one spot after the latest WTA 1000 event.

    Sabalenka has now spent 39 weeks at No 1, putting her joint 14th with Amelie Mauresmo for most weeks at No 1 in the all-time list with Victoria Azarenka in 13th on 51 weeks.

    But the biggest top-10 ranking story was undoubtedly Swiatek following her third-round defeat to Danielle Collins.

    The five-time Grand Slam winner dropped 935 points and slipped three places to No 5 in the rankings, her lowest position since March 2022 when she was No 8. It means she will be seeded fifth for her title defence at Roland Garros next week and could face several big-name players early on.

    WTA News

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    Points and money earned by Paolini, Gauff, Swiatek, Raducanu, Eala at Italian Open

    Mirra Andreeva is back at No 6 as she moved up one place after reaching the quarter-final in Rome while Madison Keys drops one spot.

    There were minimal changes in the rest of the top 20, but Jelena Ostapenko has dropped three places to No 21 after her fourth-round exit.

    Peyton Stearns reached her maiden WTA 1000 semi-final before losing against Paolini and her reward is a 14-place surge to a career-high No 28.

    Katie Boulter lost in the first round of the Italian Open, but then signed up for the WTA 125K in Paris and won the tournament, leading to a two-place rise to No 38.

    The end result is a five-place gap between Boulter and Emma Raducanu in the race for the British No 1 position despite the latter climbing six places to No 43 after reaching the fourth round in Rome.

    Collins slipped 11 places to No 46 as she followed up last year’s semi-final with a fourth-round loss in 2025.

    Rising star Alex Eala lost in the first round, but she moves up one spot to No 69 due to movement around her while Hailey Batpsite was the biggest jumper as she is up 20 places to No 70 after coming through qualifying to reach the third round.

    Victoria Azarenka was the biggest faller in the top 100 as the former world No 1 dropped 19 places to No 73 as she lost in the first round.

    WTA Rankings Top 20

    1. Aryna Sabalenka – 10,683 points
    2. Coco Gauff United States – 6,863
    3. Jessica Pegula United States – 6,243
    4. Jasmine Paolini Italy – 5,865
    5. Iga Swiatek Poland – 5,838
    6. Mirra Andreeva – 4,986
    7. Madison Keys United States – 4,674
    8. Zheng Qinwen China – 4,368
    9. Emma Navarro United States – 3,831
    10. Paula Badosa Spain – 3,641
    11. Diana Shnaider – 3,108
    12. Elena Rybakina Kazakhstan – 3,048
    13. Elina Svitolina Ukraine – 2,905
    14. Karolina Muchova Czech Republic – 2,854
    15. Barbora Krejcikova Czech Republic – 2,664
    16. Amanda Anisimova United States – 2,634
    17. Daria Kasatkina Australia – 2,631
    18. Donna Vekic Croatia – 2,226
    19. Luidmila Samsonova – 2,150
    20. Ekaterina Alexandrova – 2,148

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  • Points and money earned by Alcaraz, Sinner, Draper, Musetti, Zverev at Italian Open

    Carlos Alcaraz produced a masterclass to deny Jannik Sinner a fairytale ending at the Italian Open and the Spaniard was well rewarded in terms of ranking points and prize money.

    After a tight opening set in the Rome finale, Alcaraz stepped it up and overwhelmed the local hero to claim a 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 victory and lift his first trophy at Foro Italico.

    With the win, the 22-year-old took his ATP Masters 1000 title tally to seven while he has now won 19 ATP Tour singles tournaments, including four Grand Slams.

    “I’m just really happy to get my first Rome [title], hopefully it’s not going to be the last one,” the world No 2 said.

    Alcaraz added: “I’m proud of myself, with the way I approached the match mentally. Tactically, I think I played pretty well from the first point until the last one. I didn’t do a rollercoaster… I maintained my good level throughout the whole match, so I’m really proud about everything I did today.”

    So how many points and how much money did the two finalists earn? What about those who lost earlier in the tournament?

    ATP Points Earned In Rome

    ATP Masters 1000 title winners earn 1,000 points, but as with all tournaments they have to defend their points from the previous year at the same tournament/during the same timeframe.

    Alcaraz, though, didn’t play in 2024 as he was injured so he leaves with the full complement of 1,000 points and moves to 8,850 ranking points.

    Like Alcaraz, Sinner – who was playing in his first tournament since completing his three-month doping ban – also didn’t compete last year so he added 650 points to his tally in the ATP Rankings.

    Semi-finalists earn 400 points and Lorenzo Musetti and Tommy Paul and the former was defending 90 points from an ATP Challenger Tour event in 2024 and went home with 310 points while Paul added zero points as he lost at the same stage last year.

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    Casper Ruud, Hubert Hurkacz, Jack Draper and Alexander Zverev were the semi-finalists with 200 points on offer and Ruud (190) and Draper (170) were winners.

    Hurkacz also lost in the quarter-final a year ago while Zverev was the biggest loser in terms of points as he was the defending champion and was -800.

    And spare a thought for 2024 runner-up Nicolas Jarry as he lost in the second round and dropped 620 points, resulting in a 97-place drop in the rankings to No 150.

    Six-time Rome champion Novak Djokovic didn’t compete in 2025, but he dropped 50 points from last year.

    Prize Money Earned In Rome

    Alcaraz went home with a cheque of €985,030 (roughly $1,1m) for his efforts the past fortnight in Rome and his earnings for the year are now just under $4m while he has sits on $41m in career prize money earnings.

    Runner-up Sinner is €523,870 ($597,548) richer and he has moved to $40m in earnings over his very short career, putting him ninth on the all-time list.

    Paul and Musetti were handed cheques of €291,040 ($331,972) while quarter-finalists Ruud, Hurkacz, Draper and Zverev received €165,670 ($188,970).

    Lucky loser Jesper de Jong reached the third round and €52,925 ($60,368) to go with his 50 ranking points and his career earnings are $1,094,830.

    The 20-year-old Vilius Gaubas came through qualifying and also reached the third round, resulting in his biggest pay day as his total earnings climbed to $284,853.

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  • What Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner said to each other after Italian Open final

    Jannik Sinner lauded Carlos Alcaraz’s clay-court prowess after his defeat to the Spanish star in the championship match at the 2025 Italian Open.

    Alcaraz claimed a convincing 7-6(5), 6-1 win over Sinner in Rome in the latest installment in the pair’s captivating rivalry.

    With his third title of the season, Alcaraz improved his clay record in 2025 to an outstanding 15-1 after he won the Monte Carlo Masters and finished as a runner-up in Barcelona. He missed the Madrid Masters due to injury.

    Alcaraz, who is the reigning French Open champion, has strengthen his status as the favourite to triumph at Roland Garros this year.

    Sinner, meanwhile, was playing just his second tournament of the year and his first since defending his Australian Open crown in January. The world No 1 was unable to compete between February 9 and May 4 due to a ban for failing two doping tests in March 2024.

    The Italian’s loss to Alcaraz snapped his 26-match winning streak stretching back to October 2024.

    Here is a summary of what Alcaraz and Sinner said in their speeches during trophy presentation in Rome.

    Jannik Sinner

    “Carlos, well done to you and your team. You will definitely be the favourite when we get to Paris. You are the strongest player on clay. Congratulations to you and good luck for the rest of the season.

    “I’d like to thank my team. There have been a few months that weren’t easy. It’s been a great result just to be here in the final. We trained a lot. We can be proud of the results we achieved. We didn’t win the final but we are happy with this trophy. It’s been a great success since we came here.

    “[Jasmine] Paolini won singles and doubles with [Sara] Errani. Lorenzo [Musetti] and I did our part on the men’s side. Italians, we hope you’re happy with this tournament.

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    “Special thank you to my brother who, rather than being here, is in Imola watching Formula 1 (laughs).

    “Thanks to all the people who came to this tournament. You gave me a lot of energy and encouragement. I tried today but that’s all I had. It was a good test. Thanks to everyone.”

    Carlos Alcaraz

    “You’ve been out from the tour for three months. I can’t imagine how tough and difficult it was for you, your family, your team… and coming back to tour here at your home, a really special tournament for you, I know it.

    “Making such a great performance the whole tournament, making the tournament here… I have to congratulate you because it’s amazing what you’ve done with your team.

    “I’m not gonna get tired of saying how much of an amazing person and athlete you are. You’re working really hard every day to make this possible, making your people proud. It is amazing so congratulations to you, your family and your team.”

    READ NEXT: What Carlos Alcaraz said about Novak Djokovic playing until the 2028 Olympics

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  • Carlos Alcaraz clinches sensational achievement as he downs Jannik Sinner for maiden Italian Open crown

    Carlos Alcaraz delivered a stunning performance to earn a statement victory over Jannik Sinner in the final of the 2025 Italian Open.

    The Spanish star prevailed 7-6(5), 6-1 against world No 1 Sinner on Centre Court at the Foro Italico to claim his maiden title in Rome.

    In a fiercely contested and serve-dominated opening set, Alcaraz saved two set points serving at 5-6, 15-40 to force a tiebreak.

    Alcaraz took control of the tiebreak by racing to a 3-0 lead after hitting consecutive aces and he converted his second chance to win the set with a perfectly constructed point.

    The tiebreak proved critical as Alcaraz dominated the second set as he broke a fading Sinner twice en route to sealing a resounding win.

    With his triumph, Alcaraz ended Sinner’s 26-match winning streak. The Italian had not lost since his defeat to Alcaraz in the 2024 China Open final in October.

    The four-time Grand Slam champion has now won four straight matches against Sinner and leads the head-to-head 7-4.

    Sinner’s run to the Rome final was an impressive effort in his first tournament since he won his third major at the Australian Open in January. The 23-year-old was sidelined by a three-month suspension for failed doping tests.

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    Alcaraz will climb above Alexander Zverev into the world No 2 position when the ATP Rankings update next week.

    Having already won the French Open and the Masters events in Monte Carlo and Madrid, Alcaraz’s Italian Open crown means he has now secured every big title available on clay.

    The 22-year-old has become just the fifth player to win three different Masters 1000 tournaments on clay courts, joining Marcelo Rios, Gustavo Kuerten, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

    Rios and Kuerten both collected titles in Monte Carlo, Rome and Hamburg — the latter of which was a clay-court Masters tournament before Madrid switched to clay in 2009.

    Nadal secured clay Masters titles in Monte Carlo, Madrid, Rome and Hamburg, while Djokovic has won each of the three current Masters events played on the surface.

    Alcaraz is also the fifth-youngest player to win 10 ATP Tour titles on clay after Mats Wilander, Nadal, Kent Carlsson and Bjorn Borg

    The Spaniard has claimed 19 titles overall, and his Rome win added to an excellent 2025 clay campaign in which he had already triumphed in Monte Carlo and reached the Barcelona Open final.

    READ NEXT: 2025 French Open: Dates and draw as Sinner and Sabalenka lead event ahead of Alcaraz and Swiatek

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  • What Carlos Alcaraz said about Novak Djokovic playing until the 2028 Olympics

    Carlos Alcaraz has shared his thoughts on the prospect of Novak Djokovic competing until the 2028 Olympics Games.

    Djokovic defeated Alcaraz 7-6(3), 7-6(2) in a thrilling and high-level gold medal match at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

    The Serbian revealed after that historic triumph that he wanted to defend his Olympic title at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

    Earlier this month, Lacoste CEO Thierry Guibert reaffirmed this sentiment by proclaiming that Djokovic intends to play “at least” until the next Olympics.

    Djokovic, who will turn 38 on May 22, will be 41 at the 2028 Olympics.

    After reaching the final of the 2025 Italian Open, Alcaraz was asked about Djokovic’s Olympic goal.

    “Well, I mean, his body is feeling like he’s 25 years old. It is crazy how he maintain the good level going into the matches. The level is another thing,” the 22-year-old Spaniard said.

    “He can struggle, or he’s been struggling in terms of level. But I think physically he’s in a really good shape. Is depend on him. I’m pretty sure if his goal is to play another Olympic Games, I think he’s able to do it.

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    “Of course, I think he take care a lot of his body, of everything just to be at his hundred percent. If he’s got that, he can do it for sure.

    “I could be more than happy to see him more years on tour playing, sharing good moments, sharing good tournaments with him. I could be more than happy if that happens.”

    The four-time Grand Slam champion also addressed the evolution of his game and the importance of being solid when required.

    “Yeah, I mean, sometimes is difficult because sometimes when I see the ball coming, a lot of things come to my mind,” Alcaraz explained. “Sometimes is difficult to choose the right decision.

    “But I’m trying to improve that part of my game, as well, trying not to think too much and do the right things always, even though if it is not the brilliant shot or the brilliant decision.

    “Depends on the day, as well. Days like today with a lot of wind, it’s always difficult to hit the ball clear. You have to go to the smart decision just trying to be patient, trying to wait your chances.

    “If the points or the rally goes to 10, 12, 13 shots, you have to be ready for that battle. You have to be ready for that and try to wait until you can go aggressively. Sometimes is difficult, but I think today I did it pretty well.”

    READ NEXT: Carlos Alcaraz has been set ‘absurd’ Grand Slam targets claims former British No 1

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  • Jannik Sinner ‘sending a message’ to his rivals

    Jannik Sinner’s rivals have been warned “he wants to eat everyone alive” with Justine Henin stating his form could be good news or bad news for the rest of the ATP Tour.

    The naysayers who thought the world No 1 would struggle with match fitness following his three-month ban have been proved wrong as Sinner has been in imperious form at the Italian Open.

    After winning the Australian Open final against Alexander Zverev on January 26, the three-time Grand Slam winner was sidelined from February 9 until May 4 as he was suspended following his two positive tests for the banned substance Clostebol.

    The 23-year-old missed several big events- including the Indian Wells Open, Miami Open, Monte Carlo Masters and Madrid Open – giving the rest of the Tour hope he would be sluggish upon his return.

    But Sinner returned with a bang as he defeated Mariano Navone, Jesper de Jong, Francisco Cerúndolo and Casper Ruud in straight sets to reach the semi-finals in Rome.

    He produced one of his most dominant displays against Ruud – fresh from winning the Madrid Open – as he demolished the sixth seed 6-0, 6-1 before dropping his first set in the last four against Tommy Paul.

    The American won the opening set 6-1, but Sinner bounced back to win 1-6, 6-0, 6-3 to reach his eight consecutive final. He is now unbeaten in his last 26 matches and former world No 1 Henin fears for the Italian’s rivals.

    “He’s clearly worked incredibly hard physically in recent weeks. He’s coming in so fresh,” the seven-time Grand Slam winner told TNT Sport.

    “What’s incredible is finding his bearings so quickly and in this way. He’s picking up on everything. He’s picked up on all the signals, everything he could improve on, with great intelligence, since his first match in Rome.

    “The message he’s sending is that he wants to eat everyone alive. It’s going to do everyone good… or it’s going to scare everyone.”

    Sinner will face Alcaraz in the final and their Spaniard leads their head-to-head rivalry 6-4, having won their last three meetings, including the 2024 China Open final last October.

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    It’s the final everyone wants to see and Sinner feels it will be a good test for him.

    “We know each other quite well now. It’s always special to share the court with him. I feel like we both know how to play against each other a little bit, so we have to be prepared tactically. Of course, small things are going to be changed. This, yes,” he said.

    “But it’s just a great test for me to see where I am. It’s great for me to play against Carlos before the two Grand Slams. That for me is good because I see where I have to improve, what I have to do better.

    “Hopefully it’s going to be a good match. I feel like this is the most important part. Yeah, but in any case what’s coming out Sunday, a great tournament from my side, making such a run here, it feels good.”

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  • Points and money earned by Paolini, Gauff, Swiatek, Raducanu, Eala at Italian Open

    Jasmine Paolini ended Italy’s 40-year wait for another home women’s winner at the Italian Open as she beat Coco Gauff to lift the trophy and with it came a big points tally and handy prize winner’s cheque.

    Finalists Paolini and Gauff scored rankings boosts ahead of the French Open while 2024 champion Iga Swiatek was effectively -935 after her early exit from the clay-court tournament.

    But it was a day for the home fans at Foro Italico as Paolini defeated her American opponent 6–4, 6–2 to win her second WTA 1000 title and third career title.

    She is only the second Italian woman after Raffaella Reggi in 1985 to win the tournament in the Open Era. It is also her first title since she lifted the Dubai Tennis Championships trophy in February 2024 with her other tournament win coming at the 2021 Slovenia Open.

    But how many points and how much money did Paolini and her fellow competitors earn in Rome?

    WTA Points Earned In Rome

    WTA 1000 winners earn 1,000 points, but from the previous year are deducted from their rankings. There is good news for Paolini as she lost in the second round in 2024 so she only dropped 10 points and will add a massive 990 points to her WTA Rankings tally.

    With the win, Paolini will move up to fourth in the rankings, moving ahead of Swiatek.

    Gauff reached the semi-final last year so had 390 points to defend, resulting in her adding 260 (650-390) to her total. Her move up to No 2 in the rankings was confirmed before the final.

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    Zheng Qinwen and Peyton Stearns were the semi-finalists and the former added 175 while the American didn’t compete in Rome last year, but will leave with 363 points as she had 27 points from the 2024 WTA 125 Saint Malo event. Stearns will climb to a new career-high No 28 with her last-four run.

    Quarter-finalists earn 215 points and Aryna Sabalenka, Mirra Andreeva, Diana Shnaider and Elina Svitolina exited at this stage, but Sabalenka left with -435 as she finished runner-up last year.

    Andreeva (205), Shnaider (85) and Svitolina (95) added some points.

    What about the other high-profile players?

    Emma Raducanu enjoyed her best-ever run at the Italian Open as she reached the fourth round before losing to Gauff. She gets the full complement of 120 points as she didn’t play last year.

    Defending champion Swiatek lost a round earlier and was thus unable to defend her points from last year so will be -935 (1,000-65) when the rankings are updated on Monday, dropping to fifth.

    Rising star Alex Eala lost in the first round, but didn’t earn any points as she was defending points from a 2024 ITF event.

    WTA Prize Money Earned In Rome

    As per the official WTA website, the winners earned €877,390 (roughly $1m) so she will almost double her 2025 prize money earnings as she was on $1,217,537 before the tournament. Her career total is $9,765,349.

    Gauff – 19th in the all-time prize-money earning list, secured a cheque of €456,935 ($525,475) while Zheng and Stearns went home with €240,380 ($276,437).

    Sabalenka, Andreeva, Shnaider and Svitolina are €124,700 ($143,405) richer after the tournament while Raducanu and the other fourth-round losers earned €66,110 ($76,027).

    Swiatek, who has earned more than $35m during her playing career, secured a cheque of €38,313 ($44,060) while Eala received €13,150 ($15,123).

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  • Jasmine Paolini wins her 2nd WTA 1000 title, dominating Coco Gauff to lift the Italian Open trophy

    Jasmine Paolini produced a stunning performance against Coco Gauff to win the 2025 Italian Open, the second WTA 1000 title of her career.

    The Italian looked simply unplayable for much of the match, victorious 6-4, 6-2 over the world No 3 in just 90 minutes.

    The result will have been extra sweet for Paolini, becoming the first Italian singles champion in Rome in 40 years, just the second in the Open Era (after Raffaella Reggi).

    “I don’t have the words, it’s been an incredible two weeks,” exclaimed Paolini.

    “I was trying to just focus on the match, trying to repeat to myself that you have you stay there for every ball, but, at the beginning, I was feeling great, the best match that I’ve played here.

    “It was a great final, I’m really happy about the win, in front of the home crowd, my family, my team, and the president, so it’s amazing.”

    Coming into the match, it was the American who led the head-to-head 2-1, but Paolini managed to notch a win during their latest clay-court meeting in Stuttgart.

    “Against Coco, I had to raise the level compared to the past few matches,” the Italian said.

    “She’s coming for another final so she was playing good, but you can do it. You have to stay on the court and do whatever you think is right, and just keep going.

    “This is something special, to win here in Rome is special. I was coming to watch this tournament with my family, with my father, my father was there, and I don’t know if he was crying, but it’s a dream.”

    Paolini is the first Italian female singles player to win at least one title at WTA 1000 level or above on multiple surfaces, having won the title in Dubai in 2024 with a three-set victory over Anna Kalinskaya.

    “I have had a great week,” Gauff said, during the trophy presentation.

    “I’ve been here so many times, made the semis twice, so I was happy to get to the final. Jasmine, you’re an amazing person and player, and congratulations on this amazing achievement.

    “It’s always tough playing you.”

    Despite her defeat in the final, the American will rise to the world No 2 spot, matching her career-best ranking which she first achieved in June 2024.

    Whilst the climb means that she cannot face Aryna Sabalenka before the final in Paris, Gauff has made clear that the only goal in her mind – when it comes to ranking – is the world No 1 spot.

    “No, I’m going to be honest, it’s [the ranking] not important to me, honestly,” Gauff admitted, during the Madrid Masters

    “I mean, the only number that would mean a lot to me is 1 at this point. But, yeah, anything anywhere else is just, it’s just a number.

    “So, yeah, but, I mean, obviously it’s a reward for the work that I’m doing and the consistency that I’m showing, but it’s not something that I think about or have a goal to reach.”

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    As a result of the title lift, Paolini secured a top-4 seeding for Roland Garros – leapfrogging defending champion Iga Swiatek.

    However, Paolini is not finished yet in Rome, as she will seek to defend her doubles title alongside Sara Errani against Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens in the women’s doubles showpiece match on Sunday.

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  • Who will Emma Raducanu face in WTA Strasbourg opener? World No 15 Daria Kasatkina

    Emma Raducanu is playing some of the best clay-court tennis of her career in 2025, also showing a return to form at the Miami Open in March with a run to the quarter-finals.

    Her next event is scheduled to be at the WTA event in Strasbourg, taking place from May 18 – May 24.

    Raducanu will face either Danielle Collins or Sofia Kenin in the second round, however, before she can look forward to that encounter, she must get past world No 15 Daria Kasatkina.

    Here is all that you need to know about the Australian.

    Career Highlights

    Kasatkina is a former world No 8, a position which she first achieved in October 2022.

    Her best result at Grand Slam level was a semi-final showing at Roland Garros that same year, reaching the last eight at the US Open in 2018.

    As a junior, she was ranked as highly as world No 3 and claimed the title at the 2014 girls’ singles event at Roland Garros.

    Overall, Kasatkina has won eight titles, most recenly doing so in October 2024 at the Ningbo Open – a WTA 500 event.

    2025 so far

    The former world No 8 began her season by participating in three Australian events, making the second round in Brisbane, the quarter-final in Adelaide, and the fourth round at the Australian Open.

    From there, Kastatkina lost in her opening match in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, reaching the round of 16 at the Qatar Open.

    At Indian Wells, she got a solid victory over Sofa Kenin, before losing her next match, as well as her opening encounter at the Miami Open.

    On the clay, Kasatkina has managed to win two out of the five singles matches that she has contested.

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    Head-to-head

    Unfortunately for Raducanu, it is Kasatkina who has won all three of their matches.

    Their first encounter arrived at the Ostrava Open in 2022, when the Australian was in the best form of her life – claiming the match 7-5, 6-4.

    Nearly two years later, they met at the Rothesay International event, with Raducanu being completely outplayed 6-2, 6-2.

    Their most recent match occurred at the Korea Open in September 2024, where the Brit retired from the match after losing the first set 6-1 – due to an ongoing foot issue.

    After the match, Kasatkina said: “I feel sorry for Emma. It’s a pity to get injured, especially in the deeper stages of the tournament. I wish her a speedy recovery.”

    The post Who will Emma Raducanu face in WTA Strasbourg opener? World No 15 Daria Kasatkina appeared first on Tennis365.

  • WTA Strasbourg draw: Raducanu gets brutal opener as Pegula, Navarro, Badosa, Rybakina headline

    The draw for the WTA tournament in Strasbourg is out, and Emma Raducanu features in one of several intriguing early matchups in a strong field.

    The clay-court 500 event, which will be held in the week before the French Open from May 18 to 24, features six top 20 players — including three top 10 stars.

    Madison Keys was the 2024 champion, but she chose not to play this year. The draw includes 28 players, including four wildcards: Jessica Pegula, Raducanu, Diane Parry and Alize Cornet.

    The seeded players are Pegula (1), Emma Navarro (2), Paula Badosa (3), Elena Rybakina (4), Daria Kasatkina (6), Barbora Krejcikova (7) and Liudmila Samsonova (8).

    Elina Svitolina was the fifth seed, but her place will be taken by a lucky loser as she pulled out after the draw was made. Ekaterina Alexandrova and Olga Danilovic have also withdrawn.

    The top four seeds receive a bye to the second round, while players seeded between five to eight will enter in the opening round.

    Top half

    Pegula, Badosa, Kasatkina and Samsonova are the four seeded players in a stacked top half of the draw.

    Top seed Pegula will face Anna Kalinskaya or a qualifier in her opening match, while she is projected to meet Kasatkina in the quarter-finals.

    Raducanu has been handed a brutal draw as she will play Kasatkina — against whom she holds a 0-3 record — in the first round. Whoever prevails will take on the winner of a spicy all-American matchup between Danielle Collins and Sofia Kenin.

    No 3 seed Paula Badosa has not played since the Miami Open in March due to her persistent back injury, and the Spaniard is set to play Alize Cornet or a qualifier in her opener. Eighth seed Samsonova is projected to meet Badosa in the last eight.

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    Bottom half

    Second seed Emma Navarro will face the winner of an opening round clash between Magdalena Frech and Beatriz Haddad Maia.

    With Svitolina withdrawing, world No 23 Clara Tauson is the highest-ranked player Navarro could face in the quarter-finals.

    No 4 seed Rybakina will begin her campaign against Wang Xinyu, and she is on a quarter-final collision course with fellow Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova.

    Krejcikova, the seventh seed, is set to play her first event of the 2025 season, having not featured since the WTA Finals in November due to injury.

    Projected quarter-finals

    Pegula (1) vs. Kasatkina (6)

    Badosa (3) vs. Samsonova (8)

    Rybakina (4) vs. Krejcikova (7)

    Navarro (2) vs. Tauson (unseeded)

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