Emma Raducanu’s career narrative is increasingly defined by challenging tournament draws. A pattern has emerged: the young Brit consistently faces formidable opponents early in major competitions. The 2025 Australian Open exemplified this, with a potential third-round clash against Iga Swiatek. While Raducanu embraced an ‘underdog mentality,’ she ultimately succumbed to the world number one. This trend continued at Indian Wells, where an unexpected loss to Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima derailed a highly anticipated match against Coco Gauff. Raducanu cited difficult conditions and suboptimal preparation, but the question remains: can she break this cycle of tough draws and early exits? The 2025 Miami Open now presents another test.

Adding another layer of intrigue, Emma Raducanu’s Miami Open campaign begins against Japan’s Sayaka Ishii. The world number 188 presents a seemingly favorable matchup for Raducanu, but her recent form raises questions. While her Australian Open third-round appearance was a season highlight, subsequent tournaments have seen early exits.

Suppose she gets through this first round, then we could see a clash of ‘Emmas’ in the next round. Emma Raducanu vs. world number 10, Emma Navarro. Raducanu has never faced Navarro in her career, but looking at the American’s form this season, the Brit would definitely want to stay away from her in this tournament. After reaching the QFs in Adelaide and Melbourne (AO), Navarro won a title at the Merida Open Akron in early March. Although she faced an early exit in Indian Wells, Navarro is a real threat in the women’s tour.

Emma Raducanu’s previous Miami Open showing peaked at the second round in 2022. If she manages to go a step further this time, then her next opponent could be Linda Noskova (CZE). This match-up is a bit like a sigh of relief for all the Raducanu fans, as she has a 2-0 lead in the H2H record against the Czech. However, if she wins this match, Raducanu’s celebration could well get cut short by Mirra Andreeva in the fourth round. Although Andreeva has never faced Raducanu in her career, she recently defeated top seeds, Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka, to clinch the Indian Wells Open title.

In the QFs, Emma Raducanu’s biggest challenge can be to defeat Jessica Pegula. Both of them currently share one victory each in their H2H encounters. However, we must not forget that Pegula has also been in a tremendous form in this season. She reached the final in Adelaide and then also clinched a title at the ATX Open. If she somehow manages to beat Pegula in the QF, then she could face Iga Swiatek in the semis. The H2H between the two speak for itself!

Raducanu’s record against Swiatek hasn’t been too impressive. She currently trails by a 0-4 margin in the H2H record against the Pole. In fact, in their previous encounter at the 2025 AO’s third round, Swiatek defeated her quite comprehensively by a 6-1,6-0 margin. Suppose Emma Raducanu reaches the final, overcoming all these hurdles, then Raducanu could face either Aryna Sabalenka or Coco Gauff.

Raducanu is down 0-1 against both Sabalenka and Gauff. Sabalenka, despite a strong start in Brisbane, has experienced recent final-round losses, suggesting a hunger for redemption. Gauff, in contrast, is searching for a turnaround after a string of early tournament exits. Raducanu, if given the choice, would likely favor facing Gauff in a decisive match. But the challenge lies in progressing to that stage.

Having missed last year’s tournament due to injury, she’s now presented with a prime opportunity to improve her ranking. With a clear target of re-entering the WTA top 50, this tournament holds significant importance for the current-60th-ranked player. What does the tennis world think about Raducanu’s draw at this tournament, though?

Former British number defines Emma Raducanu 2025 Miami Open draw in a word

Right after the 2021 US Open, if someone had asked Emma Raducanu, what is her next goal? The answer would have probably been winning another major title. However, things have changed a lot. After suffering from injuries and a lack of consistency in the last few years, Raducanu’s main goal is now to enjoy what she is doing and “stay on court longer.”

Emma Raducanu started the 2024 season raking outside the Top 300, but she leapfrogged to number 57 at the end of that season. Owing to this improvement, former tennis players, Mats Wilander and Laura Robson had previously named her as the probable candidate to make the “biggest comeback” on the women’s tour in 2025.

Wilander said, “Emma Raducanu. I’m hoping and praying that she can be the comeback player of the year.” While Robson also gave him a nod saying, “Why not Emma for 2025, comeback player of the year.” Laura Robson has been a big supporter of Raducanu and recently she even shared her thoughts on her Miami Open draw. What did she say?

“It’s a tough draw. For Emma, if she comes through that first round, the seed in her section is Emma Navarro. So a very tough draw, as you would expect from a tournament of this calibre,” said Robson in a recent interview. 

It’ll be interesting to see if Emma Raducanu can make a strong statement in Miami or not. But looking at her form this season, how far do you think she can go at the 2025 Miami Open?