Who is Emma Raducanu’s Hobart quarter-final opponent? 20-year-old Australian wildcard

Emma Raducanu has learned who she will face in the quarter-finals at the Hobart International after her scheduled second round opponent withdrew.

The world No 29 was set to play world No 57 Magdalena Frech in the second round in Hobart, but the 28-year-old Pole pulled out ahead of the match.

Raducanu returned to the court on Wednesday to seal a 6-3, 7-6(2) opening round victory over 82nd-ranked Camila Osorio after the match had been suspended in the second set on Tuesday due to rain.

The 23-year-old Brit is the top seed at the WTA 250 tournament, and she is vying to reach her first final since claiming her only title in astonishing fashion at the 2021 US Open.

The Brit will take on Taylah Preston, an Australian wildcard, in the last eight in Hobart on Thursday. It will be the pair’s first meeting.

Who is Taylah Preston?

Taylah Preston was born in Joondalup, a suburb of Perth in Western Australia, on 27 October, 2005, and she began playing tennis at the age of four at the Greenwood Tennis Club.

According to Preston’s bio on the Tennis Australia website, her dream is to “win Grand Slam titles and be world No 1”, while she considers her backhand to be her “signature shot.”

The Aussie achieved a career-high ITF combined Junior ranking of world No 10 in September 2022.

Preston made her Grand Slam main draw debut as a wildcard at the 2024 Australian Open, where she was beaten by Elina Svitolina in the opening round. She also competed at the 2024 US Open as a wildcard, losing to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the first round.

The 20-year-old is set to make her third major appearance at the 2026 Australian Open, having received a main draw wildcard.

Emma Raducanu News

Emma Raducanu ‘needs two years to toughen up physically and mentally’, says former world No 1

What Emma Raducanu had to say after ‘new one’ at Hobart with small rankings boost on cards

Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for tennis coverage you can trust.

Preston is currently ranked 204th, having reached her career-high ranking of world No 134 in March 2024.

She has won seven titles on the ITF Circuit, while she reached her biggest final at the 2024 WTA 125 Challenger event in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico — where she lost to McCartney Kessler.

The right-hander holds a 4-7 record on the main WTA Tour and a 106-45 record at ITF level.

Who has Taylah Preston beaten in Hobart?

Preston, who is competing as a wildcard at the Hobart International, upset world No 40 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-4, 7-6(4) in the opening round. Bouzas Maneiro stunned Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-7(3), 6-0 at the United Cup earlier this month.

The Australian then defeated 72nd-ranked Rebecca Sramkova 6-4, 6-1 in the second round.

READ NEXT: Emma Raducanu gets a double rankings lift as former top 10 star sets her a bold target

The post Who is Emma Raducanu’s Hobart quarter-final opponent? 20-year-old Australian wildcard appeared first on Tennis365.