Emma Raducanu, Aryna Sabalenka face off for Wimbledon rematch in Cincinnati

CINCINNATI, Ohio—The Cincinnati Open will host a rematch of one of the most intriguing clashes of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka takes on Emma Raducanu in a battle of US Open champions on Monday.

“She challenged me in that match,” Sabalenka said in a post-match mixed zone following her opening-round win over Marketa Vondrousova, “and I like to accept tough challenges, so I’m super excited facing her on a hard court.”

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Estimated start time: 12:10 p.m. ET, Monday, August 11

A former world No. 10, Raducanu gave Sabalenka all she could handle over two sets beneath the Centre Court roof, forcing a tiebreaker in the first set and leading 4-1 in the second before Sabalenka ultimately secured an electric victory, 7-6 (6), 6-4.

It was a match Raducanu was wishing she could play again.

It’s like a fact-finding match so you can see where you are in comparison to the top. I also think form fluctuates so much on the day, so you can lose 2&1 one day, and you could make it close the next day. It can be down to a few points. I’m excited either way. Aryna is world No. 1, so it’ll be an exciting match and a good experience. Emma Raducanu on facing Aryna Sabalenka in Cincinnati

“I would say I thought, ‘I would love to have another crack at that, on grass, tomorrow,’” Raducanu said with a laugh after her own opening win against Olga Danilovic. “But I know and I’m honestly reasonable enough and honest enough with myself to know that different surfaces favor different people and where my game is at in comparison.

“I think the grass gave me a bit of an advantage, but we’ll see how it goes [on hard courts].”

Sabalenka has indeed been one of the best players on hard courts since winning her first of two Australian Open titles in 2023. The top seed captured her first US Open title last summer after first storming to the Cincinnati title, but Raducanu has proven her mettle on concrete, winning the 2021 US Open as a qualifier.

The years that followed for Raducanu were riddled by physical setbacks and multiple surgeries. Now healthy and flanked by a strong team, one that recently added former Rafael Nadal coach Francisco Roig, the 22-year-old has slowly climbed back up the rankings from an April 2024 low of No. 303.

“It’s important being seeded at these tournaments,” said Raducanu, the No. 30 seed in Cincinnati. “At Masters, you get a bye, which helps a lot. Then at the Slams, you avoid playing a top seed in the first round. Equally, with the stage that I’m at with my tennis and my development right now, it’s about just improving the overall level and feeling I have on court, not having holes as much, I think that’s my main priority.

“I know there will be a time where I’ll be targeting big tournaments, Masters, and Slams. Right now, that’s not my goal. My goal is to improve as a player.”

Sabalenka took note of some of those improvements first hand at SW19, the top seed praising the Brit ahead of their third-round rematch.

“She played incredible tennis,” said Sabalenka. “I’m super happy to see her mentally and physically back. She’ll definitely be back in Top 10 very soon.”

Both Sabalenka and Raducanu plan to embrace the meeting as a challenge. But for the latter, it’s more of a litmus test.

“It’s like a fact-finding match,” she mused, “so you can see where you are in comparison to the top. I also think form fluctuates so much on the day, so you can lose 2&1 one day, and you could make it close the next day. It can be down to a few points. I’m excited either way. Aryna is world No. 1, so it’ll be an exciting match and a good experience.”

For one who has ready achieved so much, Raducanu is proud to take on an underdog role, perhaps as a means of reducing pressure but also nodding to the reality that this is effectively her first full season as a healthy top tier player.

“It was great to have had a bye so we can actually get two days of training,” she said of her early work with Roig. “That was really crucial, to be honest. Other than that, in the last few months, I haven’t actually had many training weeks because I’ve been doing better in tournaments, which is a great thing. I actually find that my level improves more with practice than it does with playing matches. Playing matches, you get better at playing big points, you get more match fit. But I think actual quality and level improves with practice.”

The combination of Sabalenka’s consistency with Raducanu’s calm, confident approach could yield the first must-watch match of the tournament, and one that could determine who goes on to wear the crown in Queen City.