For a few years, Emma Raducanu was lost in the tennis forest. She had won the 2021 US Open surprisingly. She didn't beat a top-10 player on her way to the title, and the Brit was only 18 years old. Perhaps, she would become the queen of tennis and dominate the sport.
Then injuries set in, and poor form followed. Not only did Raducanu seem like a shell of her once promising self, but she might have been one step from never playing the sport again. She made a lot of money from endorsements and could have continued to do so if she never picked up a racket professionally again.
She has some off-court issues, too, of course. She didn't seem country-first in her approach to the 2024 Olympics. This came after she decided not to play her planned mixed doubles partnership with retiring Andy Murray. Because she withdrew, Murray didn't get to say a proper goodbye at Wimbledon.
Emma Raducanu plays terrific second-round match at the Cincinnati Open
But Emma Raducanu is still only 22 years old, and beginning to play much better tennis. At the Cincinnati Open in round two, she started poorly against unseeded Olga Danilovic. The Brit struggled in her first two service games, and Danilovic took advantage. Raducanu appeared to be teetering toward another shock early exit.
Not so fast. She bounced back quickly and dominated the rest of the first set to take it 6-3. The second set was even more one-sided. Things were even at 2-all, but then Raducanu got a decisive break, then held the same way, and then stole another game.
Raducanu simply needed to hold to take the match 6-3 6-2, and she did. She appeared confident in a way she hasn't in years. She displayed the kind of form she did at the 2021 US Open. New York is less than a month away. Emma Raducanu is ascending. Tennis fans should not be shocked if the Brit takes a second US Open crown.
First, she will need to get past the winner of the Aryna Sabalenka and Marketa Vondrousova match. Neither will be easy to beat. Of course, either will Emma Raducanu at the Cincinnati Open.