Emma Raducanu received a possibly tricky opening rival in Wuhan as the world No. 32 is set to meet Ann Li, the same player who nearly upset her this past summer.
On Saturday, the organizers of the WTA 1000 tournament in Wuhan released the main draw for this year's event.
After not staging their tournament for a couple of years due to the pandemic, the Wuhan Open returned last year. While Raducanu was signed up to play and she planned to have a loaded schedule during the Asian swing, the British tennis player didn't make her debut last year after being forced to withdraw due to an injury.
However, this year, Raducanu is healthy and everything is set for the 22-year-old to make her Wuhan debut. In her opening match at the Chinese WTA 1000 tournament, the Briton will meet Ann for the second time in her career. In late June, they clashed against each other on the grass courts of Eastbourne and the American nearly upset the home player. Ultimately, it didn't happen after the 2021 US Open came back from a set down to win 6-7 (5) 6-3 6-1.
Raducanu cried after her first match versus Li
Moments after completing her comeback win versus Li, Raducanu became emotional. Later, it was revealed that she dealt with a personal matter going into the match.
An emotional win for Emma 🥹
Raducanu rallies back from a set down to defeat Ann Li in Eastbourne#LexusEastbourneOpen pic.twitter.com/dQu1vNff7s
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) June 24, 2025
“It feels incredible. I want to thank the crowd for getting me through some really sticky moments. It really meant a lot to me and I’m really proud of how I fought back after losing the first set. I’m very, very happy to come through that. It was tough, it was up and down, but from the middle of the second set I think I found another gear and another level," the 22-year-old told the crowd during her on-court interview.
Raducanu will hope to beat Li again in Wuhan, and will also certainly look to do it without major drama.
