Emma Raducanu has endured a tumulteous season in 2026, which has featured impressive highs and unfortunate lows.
The British star has missed much of the season through injury and illness, being forced out of both the clay and most of the grass court swing.
However, when she has played, she has shown that she still has all the tools to be one of the top players on the WTA Tour.
Raducanu has reached two WTA Tour finals this year, at the Transylvania Open and Queen’s, and picked up victories against the likes of Iva Jovic, Sorana Cirstea, and Maja Chwalinska.
She has not been seen since reaching the final of Queen’s, with a stress fracture sidelining her from Wimbledon and the North American hardcourt swing.
Raducanu has, however, appeared on the entry list for a tournament which takes place at the end of September.
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The star is currently scheduled to play the China Open, which is set to begin on September 30th in Beijing.
The tournament is a WTA 1000 event, which means it is mandatory for all players, but it is a positive sign that the British star is ready to return.
Raducanu has only played the tournament once before, which came in 2025, and she will be hoping to build upon reaching the third round at the WTA 1000 event.
The star received a bye into the second round last year, and she beat Cristina Bucsa in straight sets to set up a match with Jessica Pegula in round three.
Pegula and Raducanu played out a thrilling three-set match, which eventually went the way of the American, who bagelled the Brit in the deciding set.
As the current world No 87, Raducanu will not be receiving a bye this year and will have to enter the Masters tournament in the first round.
With back-to-back Masters tournaments to come, with the Wuhan Open swiftly following the China Open, Raducanu could be set for a busy period during the WTA Tour’s Asian swing.
Raducanu is of Chinese heritage through her mother, and often impresses audiences in the country by speaking the language, so she is a popular presence in Asia.
The British star is also currently signed to a mega sponsorship deal with Japanese brand Uniqlo, so she is bound to go down a storm during the WTA Tour’s Asian swing.
There are tournaments in China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, and India between September and November, so it could be the perfect time for Raducanu to save her season and try and re-climb the WTA Tour rankings.
