Emma Raducanu rises 82 places in WTA rankings after recent run of form

Emma Raduacnu showcased some of her best tennis despite falling short in a quarter-final clash against world number one Iga Swiatek at the Stuttgart Open.

The British player had slumped down the rankings to 303, following a combination of injury lay-offs and a constant battle for form, but her recent successes at the Billie Jean King Cup and progress in Stuttgart has seen her rise 82 places up the WTA rankings to 221.

Although she was dealt a blow in recent weeks when the Roland Garros 2024 entry list was released, and there was no place for the 2021 US Open Grand Slam winner, the 21-year-old has impressed recently.

However, Raducanu’s wait for a win against a player in the top 10 continues, and the defeat against Swiatek takes it to seven matches without victory.

Before heading to Germany, Raducanu helped Great Britain through to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, the first time they have reached it since last century.

Against France, she won two singles matches and admitted she was playing some of her best tennis. While Billie Jean King Cup matches do not count towards the rankings, it arguably aided her success in Stuttgart, where she cruised through to the quarter-finals.

Despite using a protected ranking of 103, Raducanu was not guaranteed a place in the women’s draw for the French Open and was placed fifth on the alternates list, requiring five players to pull out before the start of the competition for her to be placed in the main draw.

Alternatively, she could go through qualifying, as she did before her run to the US Open trophy, or be awarded a wildcard.

After Stuttgart, Raducanu holds a ranking of 221, a significant improvement on the 303 she held before, but not high enough to automatically qualify for Grand Slams.

Although the signs are encouraging and after surgery on both wrists and an ankle, she is finding a run of form not shown for the last two-and-a-half years.