Emma Raducanu’s strongest U.S. Open showing since her historic 2021 triumph came to a halt in the third round with a 6-1, 6-2 defeat to No. 9 seed Elena Rybakina. The match lasted only 62 minutes, with the Kazakh star overpowering Raducanu at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Raducanu, now working with new coach Francisco Roig through the end of the season, has consistently run into former major winners in 2025. Her exits this year came against Iga Swiatek at both the Australian and French Opens, Aryna Sabalenka at Wimbledon, and now Rybakina in New York.
Reflecting on the defeats, Raducanu said top players bring their best against her. “Every time I’ve played one, they’ve kind of shown why they’re at the top,” she noted. “I’ll take it as a compliment, but it also shows I have a lot more work to do.”
For Rybakina, the win marked her first time reaching the second week at the U.S. Open, the only Slam where she has yet to make a quarterfinal. “For some reason, the U.S. Open wasn’t really successful for me. Hopefully this year, that will change,” said the No. 9 seed, who next faces 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova after her victory over Jasmine Paolini.
Against Raducanu, Rybakina showcased her power game, firing serves up to 118 mph, hitting 23 winners to her opponent’s eight, and never facing a break point.
Despite the loss, Raducanu’s season has been her strongest since 2021, marked by a career-best 26 tour-level wins and an encouraging start to her New York campaign, where she dropped just six games across her first two matches.
