Emma Raducanu was taught a lesson by Elena Rybakina at the US Open, and thinks she knows why.
The British No.1 was swept asiden in the third round 6-1, 6-2 by the Russian-born Kazak in just 62 minutes for the fastest-ever defeat of her career.
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Raducanu was sent packing in record time by RybakinaCredit: Getty
Raducanu had been in a good run of injury-free form for much of 2025, but feels like top players such as Rybakina up their game against her due to her status as a Grand Slam winner.
When asked post defeat if she thinks there’s a target on her back, the 22-year-old responded: “Yeah, big time.
“I think when the very top play against me, they have a point to prove that they’re at the top, and they’re there for a reason. I think every time I’ve played one, they’ve kind of shown that.
“So I think at the same time while I’m improving, doing better, gaining maybe some more respect around, I think the top have definitely raised their game.
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“But I’ll take that as a compliment that they’ve decided to really lock in against me, but at the same time it does show I have a lot more work to do.”
Raducanu improving, but not against the elite
Raducanu, who won the US Open in 2021, has regained some form this year after an injury hit 2022 and 2023, stepping back into the top 100 last year, she now ranks 36th.
2025 has also seen the Bromley-raised talent achieve her best Grand Slam results at the French Open (second round) and Australian Open (third round).
Raducanu has also racked up more victories against top ten ranked players, but when it comes to the very best Grand Slam winners like Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, she’s been comprehensively stopped in her tracks.
Expanding on her performances against the game’s best, she said: “To be honest, I think when these top players are playing really well, it’s difficult.
“I think every time I’ve played Iga and Elena, they’ve played unbelievable. So I think that’s difficult for sure to play against.
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Raducanu has put in some solid performances against Sabalenka in 2025, but not enough to win
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The British star lasted just 62 minutes in her third round clashCredit: Getty
“I think when you’re playing Elena, she has a great serve, of course. Second serve coming in quick and high as well. Return comes back faster. Like you’ve barely landed from your serve, and it’s back on the baseline.
“Then the ball just comes through really, really fast, and you feel like you just don’t really have any time to create anything, so it’s just constant pressure.
“Then I think when you feel in that way a shorter ball or a ball that is usually normal for you, you feel more pressure to kind of execute, and then that’s when you maybe make some errors that you don’t. So I think that’s probably the biggest tell.”
Even with a dominant third round performance, Rybakina was keen to compliment Raducanu post-match.
“I’m really happy with the performance,” she remarked.
“It’s always not easy to play against Emma, even sometimes the score doesn’t show, but she’s a tough competitor.”