Emma Raducanu has just two chances to boost her ranking before new season begins

Emma Raducanu reacts to messages from the royal family

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Emma Raducanu has just two official tour-level events on her schedule before the end of the season. The 18-year-old recently made history as the first-ever qualifier to win a Grand Slam at the US Open, seeing her ranking skyrocket from world No 150 to No 24. Ahead of her first full season on the pro tour, the Brit can boost her ranking even more before heading into off-season.

Raducanu is set to play the Transylvania Open in Romania next week.

It will be her first tournament since an early exit in Indian Wells.

The world No 24 lost her first match since winning the US Open when she faced world No 100 Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the Californian desert, and later pulled out of this week’s Kremlin Cup in Moscow, citing a change in schedule.

It leaves just two more official WTA events in her calendar before the end of the year, giving her the chance to rack up more ranking points and potentially start next season at a career-high.

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The Bromley local will be playing in her father’s home country next week, as she is set to compete in the WTA 250 event in Cluj-Napoca alongside the likes of her idol and former world No 1 Simona Halep.

Current sitting at world No 24 with 2568 ranking points, if Raducanu can make it all the way to the title she will leave Romania with 2818, potentially pushing her into the top 20 for the first time in her career, dependent on the other players around her.

She is also entered into the Upper Austria Ladies Linz, another WTA 250 event beginning on November 6.

Were Raducanu to win both titles, she would end the year on 3068 ranking points and potentially climb into the top 15, putting her in place for a top 16 seed spot at January’s Australian Open, guaranteeing her an easier draw in the earlier rounds.

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Even if she is unable to go the distance in both events, with the chance to pick up a total of 500 points across the two tournaments, even a few wins can help her boost her ranking slightly and, more importantly, give her confidence as she begins off-season training in preparation for her first full year on tour.

Ending the year on a positive note will be crucial for the 18-year-old, who is currently struggling to find a full-time coach after parting ways with Andrew Richardson following her US Open victory.

Raducanu is looking for a coach with more tour-level experience to guide her as she navigates life on the pro tour, and getting some match wins under her belt to cap off a historic breakthrough season will give her belief going into the off-season.

The US Open champion is currently undergoing a trial period with Esteban Carril, former coach of fellow Brit Johanna Konta.

The Spaniard helped Konta rise from outside the world’s top 100 into the top 10, and worked with her when she made a surprise maiden Grand Slam semi-final at the 2016 Australian Open.

Carril is also no stranger to Raducanu – he has worked closely with the LTA and even gave the Bromley teenager some pointers on improving her serve when she trained last year.

If the pair have a successful trial period in Transylvania and Linz, Raducanu could have one less thing to worry about if she decides to appoint the Spaniard full-time, and can start her off-season with a coach she knows will be around for longer.

While she can’t boost her ranking at the events, the world No 24 is also currently entered into two exhibitions which will give her a couple more chances to test herself in a match at the Champions Tennis event in London’s Royal Albert Hall, and at the Mubadala World Tennis Chapionships against Belinda Bencic, who she beat en route to the US Open title.
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