Emma Raducanu is rising up the WTA Rankings after an encouraging run of form over the last couple of months, but her true position in the women’s game may be reflected in alternative rankings.
Raducanu emerged from the grass court season with her ranking and reputation enhanced, with her impressive performance as she lost against world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the third round at Wimbledon giving conclusive evidence that she is getting closer to the players at the top of the sport.
She backed that up with a run to semi-finals of the WTA 500 tournament in Washington and has also started brightly with some wins in the WTA 1000 event in Montreal.
Now Raducanu is eyeing a move into the top 32 of the WTA Rankings, which would secure her a seeded position at this month’s US Open and that may well reflect her current position in the women’s game.
Raducanu finds herself in 25th position in the WTA Race rankings, which reflect performances in 2025 and she is up to No 13 in the UTR Rankings, which are also based on current form.
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Victories against higher-ranked players are worth more in the UTR list than the official ATP or WTA Ranking, meaning they offer a more accurate reflection of the current form at the top of the game.
The UTR Rankings are based on the current form from the last few weeks and months rather than reflecting results that occurred up to a year ago, with the system created to promote fair and competitive play across the tennis world.
All players, regardless of age, gender, geography, or skill level, are rated on the same scale between 1.00 and 16.50 based on actual match results.
The UTR Ranking is open to players of all levels of the game and the algorithm used provides an intriguing insight at the top of the game.
Sabalenka saluted Raducanu’s level in their Wimbledon meeting as ‘incredible’ and suggested she could be back in the top ten of the rankings soon, with those comments inspiring the 22-year-old former US Open champion.
“It gives me confidence that I’m not as far away as I perhaps thought before the tournament,” Raducanu said, reflecting on her display against Sabalanka at Wimbledon.
“I think before previously when I was playing those top-five players, it was pretty convincing, the loss. So I think to really push Aryna it does give me confidence.
“The problem before was that I felt like I was gulfs away from the very top. Having a match like that where I had chances in both sets, it does give me confidence.
“At the same time, it’s very difficult to take right now. I’m just very self-critical. It’s hard to see. Of course, I’m very proud of being competitive on the court. I think I would rather that than it being completely one way.”
She also commented on Sabalenka’s words of praise for her levels as she added: “It’s nice of her to say that, but I think it was pretty clear the difference. In the big moments, she was able to convert. She was able to hit some incredible shots.
“I just need to keep working and get back to the drawing board and improve a lot more.”
Raducanu has very few points to defend in from her 2024 total, so she has a big chance to make a leap up the rankings and get close to that top 20 target by the end of this year.
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