Emma Raducanu set to be excluded from seeds at upcoming US Open after disappointing Cincinnati campaign

After her third round defeat to world number one Aryna Sabalenka, it has been confirmed that 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu will not be a seed for this years championships for the first time since 2022.

The pair faced off for the second time in just over a month after sharing a closely fought tie at Wimbledon, in which the Belarusian came out on top in straight sets in a tense game on centre court. The Brit had been praised for pushing the three-time Grand Slam champion to two close sets, but now in the States wanted revenge.

She got an early break before Sabalenka replied with four games on the spin to put her in command. Raducanu then responded by breaking back to put the tie back on serve, and it stayed that way after Sabalenka failed to take two set points at 5-4. In the tiebreak, the top seed eventually took her third set point.

It would turn out to be a positive response from the 22-year-old, who broke to go 4-3 ahead before levelling the game at one set all. The third set would be a closely fought battle between the pair of Grand Slam winners. Raducanu missed an early break point before Sabalenka failed to take four in a single game, which saw a mind-boggling 13 deuces. It took Raducanu herself 11 game points to make it 4-4.

From then on, both players kept comfortable holds of their serve, which led to the second tiebreaker of the match. For the second consecutive time in the match, Sabalenka won a tiebreak on her third point, coming out on top against the British number one 7-6, 4-6, 7-6. Cruel for Raducanu, who ended up tallying more games than her opponent, but those costly tiebreaks could see her miss out on a seeding for the upcoming US Open.

After this frustrating loss, she was left as the 34th-ranked player in the world. With top 10 players Paula Badosa and Zheng Qiwen pulling out of the tournament through injury, this pushed her up into 32nd and the final seeding spot. However, she would only stay there if results went her way.

Unfortunately, they did not. Russian Veronika Kudermetova came from a set down to knock out Canadian Open semi-finalist Clara Tauson, and push Raducanu out of the last spot. Without a seeding, there is a chance she could face one of the best players in the world from the opening round, whereas with a seed, she would not have to worry about that until the third round, as long as she made it that far.

Despite this, it may not be such a bad thing that she misses out. If ranked between 24th and 32nd, she would be almost guarenteed to play a top eight player in round three. In her three Grand Slam appearances this year, she has faced Iga Swiatek twice, along with Sabalenka at SW19. She failed to win a set in those three ties.

This bad luck has restricted her progress in these major tournaments this year, but if she gets a good draw and can capitalise with a lower ranked seed later in the tournament, this could be her best shot at a deep run. Her record against the top eight players in the world reads for grim reading, with her winninng just one of her 10 ties, taking a measly one set in those defeats.

With or without a seed, she will have to face a top player, and she will need to reverse her previous misfortunes against them. Recent signs have been positive, with her pushing Sabalenka all the way in their previous meetings. This year has also seen the Brit get back to her best form. She reached her first ever Masters 1000 quarter-final, losing out to eventual runner-up Jessica Pegula in three sets, while consistent performances in tournaments has seen her push back up to the number one Brit, ahead of Katie Boulter.

She is looking to continue her rise back up the rankings and will be hoping for a successful result at Flushing Meadows. But before that, she will partner up with five-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz in the revamped mixed doubles event, which will be played a few days before the main draw gets underway.