Emma Raducanu has ensured she is set for a significant rise in the WTA Rankings as she progressed to the semi-finals of the 2025 Citi Open.
The 22-year-old downed world No 90 Maria Sakkari 6-4, 7-5 in the quarter-finals of the WTA 500 tournament in Washington on Friday.
Raducanu fought back from 2-5 down in the second set and had her heart rate checked during a medical timeout late in the match as temperatures soared.
She now holds a 4-0 record against Sakkari, a 30-year-old Greek who has been ranked as high as third.
The Brit is through to her first hard-court semi-final since the 2022 Seoul Open, and she has achieved it without dropping a set in her three victories. She saw off Mata Kostyuk in the opening round and Naomi Osaka in the second round.
Raducanu has now won 21 WTA Tour matches in 2025 — her highest-ever tally in a season (excluding matches in team competitions).
With the 195 points she has gained for making the last four in the US capital, Raducanu has climbed 14 places in the Live WTA Rankings from 46th to 32nd. This will be Raducanu’s highest ranking position since August 2022 — just before the points from her 2021 US Open title dropped.
