Emma Raducanu and Bianca Andreescu – who both soared to fame with victory at the US Open as teenagers – will meet in the first round of the Miami Open on Wednesday in a battle of the fallen stars
- Emma Raducanu and Bianca Andreescu both won the US Open as teenagers
- They were both born close to Toronto and share a degree of Romanian heritage
- They will now meet in the first round of the Miami Open on Wednesday
It is hardly surprising that Emma Raducanu has drawn parallels with Bianca Andreescu, the Canadian she meets in the first round of the Miami Open on Wednesday.
They both soared to fame with victory at the US Open as teenagers — Raducanu in 2021, Andreescu in 2019; they were both born close to Toronto and share a degree of Romanian heritage; they have both had several coaches; and they are both players who have won an early Grand Slam and then struggled to sustain that success.
Few will better understand what it has been like for Raducanu since New York 18 months ago than Andreescu, 22, ranked 31 in the world. She represents one of the toughest draws possible for the Brit, who is looking to build on the promising form that took her to the fourth round in Indian Wells last week.
If anything Andreescu has found even more obstacles in her way than Raducanu since a dramatic breakthrough. After winning at Flushing Meadows she suffered a severe knee injury and did not play competitively for 15 months due to the pandemic.
She found 2021 with its Covid restrictions difficult and the decision was made to prioritise her mental health and take a break until April last year. Ahead of this season’s Australian Open, she said: ‘The biggest thing this past year is trying to love myself as best as I can.
It is hardly surprising that Emma Raducanu has drawn parallels with Bianca Andreescu
Raducanu and Andreescu both soared to fame with victory at the US Open as teenagers
Raducanu (left) won the US Open in 2021 and Andreescu (right) won the US Open in 2019
‘It’s really helped me get to this point, just having that love for myself off the court. Before it was more result-oriented, and when I lost it would be like the end of the world. But now I’m so in tune with myself.’
To that end Andreescu has become a keen reader of books and is a yoga enthusiast who regularly meditates and practises mindfulness.
Rather like Raducanu, there have been flashes of the talent which saw her stun Serena Williams in straight sets in the New York final.
Yet consistency has been elusive and she has not progressed past the fourth round at a major since. Where Andreescu differs from her British counterpart — Raducanu moved from Toronto to London aged two — is that she had an extensive junior career. When she won the US Open she had already won at Indian Wells and the Canadian Open.
At its best her game is full of variety, but results this year have been unspectacular, with one semi-final at the Thailand Open.
Raducanu is also seeking to gain momentum, and is ranked 40 places lower, so it is a difficult match to predict. It is certainly the pick of the first round at Miami, where Kyle Edmund, Andy Murray, Cam Norrie and Dan Evans will also be in action.