EMMA RADUCANU RETURNS TO WORLD TOP 25 AFTER TRANSYLVANIA OPEN SUCCESS
Emma Raducanu surged to World No. 25 after a strong Transylvania Open run, despite a 6-0, 6-2 final defeat to Sorana Cirstea.
Emma Raducanu has jumped up to No. 25 in the world rankings, even after taking a tough loss in the Transylvania Open final on Saturday. Her week in Romania—her dad’s birthplace—started like a dream, but it ended pretty quickly. Sorana Cirstea, playing at home, wrapped things up in just over an hour.
Raducanu didn’t have much of a chance in the final. Cirstea handed her a rough 6-0, 6-2 defeat. This was Raducanu’s first WTA final since her big win at the 2021 US Open, back when she was just 18 and came out of nowhere as a qualifier. The final didn’t look anything like the rest of her week. She’d played sharp tennis leading up to it and came in as the top seed. Still, her strong run through the draw pushed her world ranking up from No. 30 to 25, her best spot since August 2022. Back then, she was ranked No. 11 heading into her US Open title defence—but after an early exit, she slid all the way to No. 83.
The past few years haven’t been easy. Injuries and shaky form knocked her down the rankings and kept her off the radar. But over the last year, she’s started to find her footing again and climb back up.
On her way to this final, Raducanu beat Greet Minnen, Kaja Juvan, and Maja Chwalinska—all in straight sets. The semi-final? That was a real fight. She faced Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova, and it took nearly three hours, but Raducanu pulled through in three sets.
After the final, Raducanu admitted it was a rough day. “Today was really tough. Sorana played a great match, for sure. I’ve been dealing with some health issues and just haven’t felt great this week. Yesterday was a battle, and today I felt pretty tired. I just need to rest as much as I can.
“But honestly, I couldn't do anything against Sorana today. She played incredible tennis—she has all week. I can’t praise her enough for how well she’s played and, honestly, what a nice person she is. It’s great to have someone like her on tour.”
She also said, “I think my game has improved. I’ve made progress, and the work I’ve put in over the past few weeks is starting to show, so I’m happy with how things are developing. Today wasn’t a fair reflection, but overall things are moving in the right direction. There’s still a lot to improve, but it’s good to see some rewards for doing things the right way.”
Next up, she’s heading to Doha for the Qatar Open, where she’ll take on Camila Osorio in the first WTA 1000 tournament of the season. Since she lost in the first round there last year, she’s not defending any points. It’s another chance for her to keep climbing the rankings.
WHY DID 22 PLAYERS SUDDENLY WITHDRAW FROM THE 2026 ITALIAN OPEN MID-TOURNAMENT?
Discover the full list of injured stars, including Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu, forced out of the 2026 Italian Open.
At the 2026 Italian Open, the number of players who have withdrawn or retired during matches has climbed to 22, spanning both the ATP and WTA competitions.
By midweek, 17 players had already exited the combined ATP/WTA 1000 event in Rome. Since then, an additional three men and two women have followed suit.
Before the draws were even announced on Monday, prominent names like Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Jack Draper, and Marketa Vondrousova had pulled out. On the opening day of the women’s tournament, Tuesday, Marta Kostyuk and Emma Raducanu also withdrew.
Amanda Anisimova, ranked sixth in the WTA, stepped back before her first match on Thursday due to a left wrist injury. Meanwhile, Victoria Mboko, who is ninth in the world, withdrew before playing on Friday because of a gastrointestinal illness.
Valentin Vacherot, the 16th-ranked player on the ATP tour, pulled out shortly before his scheduled second-round match against Marin Cilic on Friday, citing a foot injury.
Tomas Machac, holding the 41st spot in the men's rankings, also withdrew ahead of his second-round encounter with Daniil Medvedev after an impactful win against Stefanos Tsitsipas in round one.
Arthur Fils, ranked 17th, retired during his opening match against Andrea Pellegrino on Saturday, trailing 0-4, due to hip pain.
Here’s a rundown of the withdrawals on the ATP side: Carlos Alcaraz (No. 2) was replaced by Sebastian Ofner; Taylor Fritz (No. 7) by Zachary Svajda; Valentin Vacherot (No. 16) by Martin Landaluce; Arthur Rinderknech (No. 24) by Aleksandar Kovacevic; Holger Rune (No. 40) by Damir Dzumhur; Gabriel Diallo (No. 46) by Alexander Blockx; Jack Draper (No. 50) by Hamad Medjedovic; Raphael Collignon (No. 68) by Alexandre Muller; Reilly Opelka (No. 74) by Aleksandar Vukic; Arthur Cazaux (No. 73) by Mattia Bellucci; Kamil Majchrzak (No. 76) by Roberto Bautista Agut; and Eliot Spizzirri (No. 92) by James Duckworth.
On the WTA side, Amanda Anisimova (No. 6) was replaced by Elena Gabriela Ruse from Romania; Victoria Mboko (No. 9) by Nikola Bartunkova; Marta Kostyuk (No. 15) by Ajla Tomljanovic; Emma Raducanu (No. 30) by Lilli Tagger; Marketa Vondrousova (No. 44) by Solana Sierra; Sonay Kartal (No. 56) by Zeynep Sonmez; Varvara Gracheva (No. 61) by Eva Lys; and Veronika Kudermetova (No. 70) by Petra Marcinko.
THE "REST OVER REPS" PLAN: WHY JANNIK SINNER IS SNUBBING HALLE FOR WIMBLEDON
After 23 consecutive wins, World No. 1 Jannik Sinner adjusts his schedule to target a Career Grand Slam and Wimbledon glory.
Jannik Sinner has already logged a heavy schedule this year, with deep runs in recent Masters 1000 tournaments keeping him on court against top-tier competition regularly. Given this demanding stretch, he’s taken a fresh look at his calendar and decided to skip the Halle Open, carving out a three-week break between Roland Garros and his Wimbledon title defence.
The 2024 Wimbledon champion won’t be heading to Germany for the grass-court event. That’s notable since Sinner claimed that Wimbledon crown in impressive fashion, overcoming two-time winner Carlos Alcaraz to secure his first major title away from hardcourts. That victory was his latest Grand Slam, following Alcaraz’s wins at the previous two majors.
After Roland Garros, where he seeks to complete the career Grand Slam, Sinner plans to recharge rather than pile on more tournaments before Wimbledon. Without Alcaraz in sight, he’s considered a favourite to maintain his remarkable run. His recent haul includes titles at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, and, most recently, Madrid. Now, he’s setting his sights on Rome, his home turf, where he’s never clinched a win but is eager to continue an ambitious streak of Masters 1000 victories, aiming for a sixth in a row.
Post-Rome, he’ll take a week off before the French Open begins. In total, Sinner has played 23 matches over the last two months without tasting defeat. If he wants to lift the Rome trophy, he’ll need to notch six more wins, then potentially battle through seven more rounds in Paris. This demanding schedule partly explains his choice to forgo Halle.
As for the 2026 Halle Open, fans might be disappointed not to see the world number one, but the field remains strong. Heading the draw is Alexander Zverev, a local favourite who has yet to claim a grass-court title or even one on home soil. With Sinner out, this could be a prime opportunity for Zverev to break through.
The American players are also well represented. The U.S. hasn’t seen a finalist here since Mardy Fish in 2004, but Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton might be poised to change that, especially Fritz, who has already shown grass prowess with titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne last year.
Defending champion Alexander Bublik, who ousted Sinner on his way to victory and took down Daniil Medvedev in the final, will be back aiming to repeat. Alongside him, names like Andrey Rublev, Flavio Cobolli, and Frances Tiafoe are also set to compete. The tournament runs from June 15 to 21, promising plenty of exciting tennis.
