Emma Raducanu didn’t avoid facing a seeded player right from the start as the British tennis star is set for a very tricky Wimbledon opener against No. 22 seed and proven grass-courter Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Raducanu, who is currently ranked at No. 168 in the world and was handed a main draw wildcard for Wimbledon, knew there was a chance of getting a tough first-round match at The Championships. And on Friday, exactly that happened after Raducanu drew four-time WTA champion Alexandrova, who also achieved a career-high ranking of No. 15 in April.
For Raducanu, 21, and 29-year-old Alexandrova, their Wimbledon meeting will also be the first time that they are taking on each other. Going into the match, both Raducanu and Alexandrova aren’t lacking matches since the Briton appeared in two tournaments this grass season while the Russian took part in three.
Also, they are in good form, considering that Raducanu was a semifinalist in Nottingham and also a quarterfinalist in Eastbourne this week, while Alexandrova made the ‘s-Hertogenbosch semifinal before losing in the Berlin and Bad Homburg round-of-16.
While Raducanu has played well on the grass this summer and it is definitely looking like her best surface, two of Alexandrova’s four titles came on the grass…
