Emma Raducanu is in danger of being unseeded at the US Open later this month following her defeat in Montreal.
The British star harbours dreams of winning at Flushing Meadows for the second time following her historic 2021 success.
3
Raducanu faces the prospect of being outside the top 32 for the US OpenCredit: Getty
Raducanu became the first player – male or female – in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam title as a qualifier.
Incredibly, she lifted the trophy in New York without losing a set – becoming the first woman since Serena Williams in 2014 to do so.
Four years later and she will be hoping to make another similar impression, but she could have to do it the hard way once again.
Only the top 32 players in the WTA rankings will be seeded at the US Open, which guarantees tennis stars of avoiding the top seeds in the early rounds of the tournament.
Raducanu had lifted herself up into 33rd spot following a run to the semi-finals at the Washington DC Open late last month.
However, she followed that up with a third round exit at the Canadian Open on Saturday.
The 22-year-old lost 6-2, 6-1 to Wimbledon finalist Amanda Anisimova in a match that lasted little over an hour.
As a result of her heavy straight sets defeat, and with some of her close rivals performing better, Raducanu has dropped down the rankings.
She now sits in 38th spot after dropping six places in the WTA live rankings, with Naomi Osaka, Xinyu Wang and Dayana Yastremska all moving up.
For Raducanu, she now goes into the upcoming WTA 1000 event with huge pressure to deliver.
3
Raducanu hasn’t gone beyond the fourth round of a Grand Slam since triumphing at Flushing MeadowsCredit: GettyHow can Raducanu become seeded for the US Open?
Raducanu must bank vital ranking points at the Cincinnati Open if she wishes to secure a top 32 spot.
She would require at least a run into the round of 16 to secure a chance in achieving her goal.
A run to the last-16 would bank Raducanu 120 points.
Meanwhile she would pocket 215 points should she get to the quarter-finals.
Though in a boost for Raducanu, she has no ranking points to defend leading up to the US Open after deciding against playing in any tournaments ahead of the Grand Slam last year.
So she could get some points in either the WTA Tour 250 event in Cleveland or in Monterrey for the WTA 500 tournament in the week prior to the US Open if she wishes to claim a ranking inside the top 32.
3
The British star created tennis history when she won the US Open in 2021Credit: GettyWhen is the 2025 US Open?
The US Open will get underway at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre in New York on August 25.
Singles action is set to run through to the men’s final on September 7, with the showpiece match in the women’s draw the day before.
This year’s tournament will also see a new format for the mixed doubles.
Raducanu is set to partner Carlos Alcaraz in the US Open Mixed Doubles Championship across August 19 and 20.
The winner’s of the two-day tournament will split $1million (£740,000) in prize money.