August 13, (THEWILL) – A high-profile matchup between Serena Williams and reigning US Open champion, Emma Raducanu, has been set up by the Cincinnati Masters first-round draw.
In an interview earlier this week, Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion, claimed that she was “evolving away from tennis” with the 2018 US Open appearing to be likely her last major appearance. The 40-year-old had previously spent 319 weeks at the top of the tennis world rankings, making her the most successful player of the Open Era.
At the Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati, the final stop before the final Grand Slam of the year at Flushing Meadows, she will play Great Britain’s youthful star Raducanu, who is 19 years younger than she is, for the first time.
Williams and Raducanu will compete on Monday night after both players were eliminated early from the Toronto Open earlier this week. The American defeated Nuris Parrizas Diaz of Spain 6-3, 6-4 to record her first victory of the year in Canada, but she lost in the second round to Swiss player Belinda Bencic in straight sets.
In Canada, Raducanu’s miserable campaign continued with a first-round loss to defending champion Camila Giorgi (6-7, 2-6). The 19-year-old stunned the tennis world by winning the US Open last year, becoming the first female British Grand Slam champion since Virginia Wade in 1977. However, since then, she has battled with her form and conditioning with disappointing results at the Australian Open, French Open or Wimbledon and getting no further than the third round in five WTA 1000 appearances.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
