Four years after her stunning breakthrough in 2021, Emma Raducanu will finally make her China Open debut in 2025.
The event was not held in 2021 or 2022 due to a combination of ongoing COVID-19 restrictions and the WTA Tour’s boycott of the country, and Raducanu then missed the event in 2023 and 2024 due to injury concerns.
However, the world No 32 is finally in action at the WTA 1000 event this year and is set to get her campaign underway this week, as she looks to bounce back from her disappointing second-round loss at the Korea Open.
The Brit now knows that she will take on Cristina Bucsa in round one, an opponent she has got to know well in 2025.
Who is Cristina Bucsa?
Bucsa has an intriguing sporting background with her father, Ion, representing their home nation of Moldova as a biathlete at the 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics.
Born in Chisinau, Bucsa moved to Spain with her family aged three, and began representing Spain in 2015.
She may not have been too familiar to many before 2024, though the past 18 months have been hugely significant for the Spanish star’s career.
The Spaniard has never reached a tour-level singles final but has won seven WTA Tour doubles across her career, with six coming since the start of last season.
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Her biggest doubles title came on home soil at the WTA 1000 Madrid Open last spring alongside compatriot Sara Sorribes Tormo, and the pair won Olympic bronze together at Paris 2024.
Bucsa was also a doubles finalist at the Miami Open final this year alongside Miyu Kato and was a doubles quarter-finalist at the 2024 Australian Open.
The 27-year-old heads into the Asian swing fresh off the best Grand Slam run of her career, reaching the fourth round of the US Open earlier this month.
Bucsa beat Claire Liu, Alex Eala, and 19th seed Elise Mertens on her way to the fourth round, where her campaign ended against world No 1 and eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka.
The Spaniard also reached the third round of Wimbledon in 2025 — stunning 2024 semi-finalist Donna Vekic in round two — and is currently at 67th in the world rankings, just shy of her career-high of 56th from January 2024.
Having beaten Vekic at the All England Club earlier this year, she beat the Croatian again in round one of the China Open to book this clash with Raducanu.
Head-to-head
Raducanu and Bucsa have become familiar opponents, with this set to be their third meeting of 2025 — though their previous two matches could not have been much different.
Their first meeting came back at the Singapore Tennis Open back in January, with the Spaniard battling her way to a 5-7, 7-5, 7-5 triumph in a match that lasted over three hours.
That remains their only hard-court meeting until now, with their second contest coming on the grass courts of the Queen’s Club in June.
Raducanu was in cruise control that day, breezing towards a 6-1, 6-2 opening-round victory that took just 64 minutes.
When will the match take place?
As of Thursday, an official match start time and court location for Raducanu and Bucsa’s contest is yet to be confirmed.
However, we do know that it will take place on Saturday, alongside the other second-round matches on the top side of the women’s singles draw.
The winner will progress to face either Ajla Tomljanovic or fifth seed Jessica Pegula in the third round.
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