Raducanu’s opponent has already addressed ‘coincidence’ between pair

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Emma Raducanu has received a tough draw at the Miami Open, as she will face Bianca Andreescu in the first round. Both women have several similarities – winning the US Open as teenagers, being born in Canada and being of Romanian descent. And the current world No 31 previously addressed the “coincidence” ahead of their first career meeting in 2022.

Raducanu and Andreescu will face off for the second time after being drawn to meet at the Miami Open, with the winner facing seventh seed Maria Sakkari. Not only is it a tough draw for Raducanu, but it also offers the chance to face someone who has experienced a similar life both on and off the court.

The 20-year-old was born in Canada to Romanian and Chinese parents before moving to Britain, while Andreescu also hails from Canada with both of her parents originating from Romania. As well as their similar backgrounds, both women won the US Open as teenagers – Raducanu at the age of 18 and Andreescu at 19 years old.

They have each struggled with more injury setbacks than most since their respective Grand Slam victories – with one of the Brit’s retirements in 2022 ironically coming against Andreescu. The parallels are something that the 2019 US Open winner had already addressed before their first meeting in Rome last year, calling them a “coincidence”.

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“I’ve thought about the parallels, but I don’t go crazy,” the three-time title winner said last May. “It’s just a really weird coincidence.” Both women have also previously praised each other for their US Open victories, with the Canadian admitting that she wanted to play Raducanu after watching her in New York.

“I watched her win the US Open, and I was really happy for her because I won it basically around her age,” she also said during Rome. “Obviously, she was playing a Canadian [Leylah Fernandez], so that was really nice too. She’s a really great player, so I’m expecting a really good match. I remember saying, ‘I want to play her,’ and it looks like I got my wish.”

Meanwhile, Raducanu watched the Canadian’s triumph when she was just 16 and spoke about Andreescu’s US Open run 10 months ago. “I thought Bianca was playing incredibly well,” she said “I think her physicality is one of her strengths, how good she is moving, how low she stays. I think that’s really cool. And probably something I can learn from myself.”

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And the 20-year-old appears to have learned from her rival already – saying her athleticism was her strongest point following her Indian Wells defeat to Iga Swiatek last week. “Physically I feel like that’s going to be one of my biggest assets,” she said following a career-best showing in the Californian desert.

“My team has spoken about it. I think that I’m going to be, like, one of the best athletes on the tour, and that’s going to be a big part of my game.” Raducanu will now get the chance to test out her athletic ability against the woman who inspired her when they do battle on Wednesday.

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