Emma Raducanu could end up facing the world’s top three at the Cincinnati Open, having been handed a tough draw at US Open tune-up event.
Raducanu, seeded No 30, has received a first-round bye before facing Olga Danilovic in the second, the Serb having dashed hopes of an all-British clash with Katie Boulter after winning their opener in straight sets.
If she comes through against Danilovic, Raducanu’s potential path to the final could include clashes with defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, world No 2 Coco Gauff and No 3 Iga Swiatek.
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Emma Raducanu lost out to Aryna Sabalenka in their last meeting in the third round at Wimbledon
Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, is hoping to continue her recent resurgence ahead of her return to Flushing Meadows – the final Grand Slam tournament of the season live on Sky Sports from August 24.
Her season highlights include a quarter-final run at the Miami Open, a round-of-16 finish at the Italian Open, and a last-eight showing at Queen’s Club.
Raducanu also reached the semi-finals at the Citi Open in Washington following a third-round exit at Wimbledon to world No 1 Sabalenka.
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Watch highlights of the WTA match between Amanda Anisimova and Raducanu at the National Bank Open
Other Brits in action…
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Cameron Norrie is seeded at the Cincinnati Open
Sonay Kartal made a name for herself this summer with a fourth-round run at Wimbledon and has broken into the world’s top 50. She will open against former champion and 2022 WTA Finals winner Caroline Garcia.
A win would book her a second-round clash with 11th seed Karolina Muchova.
In the men’s draw, Britain’s Cameron Norrie received a first-round bye and will face either Roberto Bautista Agut or Daniel Altmaier in round two. Waiting in the third round could be fifth seed Ben Shelton, who claimed the third ATP Tour title of his career in Toronto a few days prior.
Jacob Fearnley suffered the same fate as Boutler, exiting the tournament in the first round with defeat to Belgian Zizou Bergs in his Cincinnati debut.
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When is the Cincinnati Open 2025?
The Cincinnati Open is played from Tuesday August 5 until Monday August 18 – live on Sky Sports.
After two days of qualifying, the main draw gets under way on Thursday August 7.
The day sessions begin at 4pm UK time, while the night sessions start at 11pm.
Novak Djokovic is set to enter the US Open without playing in any warm-up tournaments after he pulled out of the tournament. World No 1 Jannik Sinner and rival Carlos Alcaraz both return after a near month-long absence, as does defending women’s champion Sabalenka.
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US Open announces record prize money
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Jannik Sinner (L) defeated Taylor Fritz (R) to win the 2024 US Open title at Flushing Meadows
The US Open has announced £67m ($90m) in prize money will be on offer at this year’s final major, up from £56m ($75m) in 2024.
The men’s and women’s singles winners will earn £3.7m ($5m), the largest champions’ payout.
Djokovic, Gauff, and 2024 US Open champions Sabalenka and Sinner were among the 20 players who signed a letter to the chiefs of the four Grand Slam events in March seeking more prize money.
The players are in discussions with the other major tournaments – Wimbledon, French Open, and Australian Open – to secure a higher payout.
At Wimbledon, where Sinner and Swiatek were crowned champions in 2025, the prize money increased around seven per cent, with the singles champions receiving £2.9m ($4m) apiece.
Watch the US Open in New York live on Sky Sports from August 24 to September 7, or stream with NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.