Emma Raducanu handed brutal Stuttgart draw with early Grand Slam champion showdown | Tennis | Sport
Emma Raducanu has learned her fate at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix as she has been drawn to face Jelena Ostapenko. It will be a battle of the young Grand Slam champions, as the world No 22 won the 2017 French Open days after turning 20. And the winner will face third seed Ons Jabeur – Raducanu’s recent practice partner.
Raducanu received a wildcard into the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix and will start her clay season in Stuttgart for the second year running. But the 20-year-old has been handed a brutal draw, facing a fellow Major winner in Ostapenko in her opening match.
The winner will two-time Grand Slam finalist Jabeur in the second round, with the third seed receiving a bye. The world No 68 has already sparred with Jabeur on the practice court in Stuttgart, as she shared some footage from their practice session on Saturday.
Raducanu reached the quarter-final in Stuttgart last year and will be defending 100 of her 839 ranking points next week. 12 months ago, she defeated Storm Hunter and Tamara Korpatsch before falling to eventual champion Iga Swiatek.
Raducanu has never faced Ostapenko before but their pair experienced similar sudden success on the biggest stage in the sport. The Brit made history as the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam title at the 2021 US Open when she was just 18 years old.
While Ostapenko had some more experience on the tour by the time she won the 2017 French Open, the title also marked the first of her young career and came days after her 20th birthday. Now ranked at No 22 in the world, Ostapenko was No 47 at the time and became first unseeded woman to win Roland Garros since 1933.
