Emma Raducanu is on fire! After an electrifying run at the Washington DC Open—her first semifinals this season—the British No.1 is riding high. It’s a huge milestone for Raducanu, who’s battled through injuries over the past few years. Now, fresh momentum in her corner, the 22-year-old is ready to turn up the heat in Canada. With the calendar moving at breakneck speed, though, the tour’s grind is clearly keeping her on her toes!

On Monday, Raducanu carried her Washington spark straight onto Montreal’s courts, overpowering Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the Omnium Banque Nationale opening round. She delivered a convincing win, 6-2, 6-4, booking her spot in the round of 64. However, it’s no easy task taking on a close friend. Ruse, who’s a Romanian national, was picked by Raducanu, who’s half Romanian herself, as her opponent when the latter played an exhibition match at the Royal Albert Hall after her 2021 US Open triumph. Add to that countless other hours on the court, hitting practice rallies, and it’s understandable why Raducanu spoke so warmly of her opponent during the post-match interview.

“I’m so happy to have come through that. I know Elena, she’s a very good friend of mine and it’s very difficult to play someone who you’re close to, so I’m really proud with how I kind of put that to one side in the match and also backed up a good week last week in Chicago,” she said, as reported by Express.co.uk. Catch her blunder?

Emma Raducanu’s natural charm was on display as she caught her slip and corrected herself with a grin. “Chicago? DC! And performed well today. Yeah, just really happy and loved playing here for the first time.” That quick laugh only endeared her more to the Montreal crowd, showing just how down-to-earth and focused she is—even in new territory.

World No.33 Raducanu had never played in Montreal before. The ATP and WTA Tours swap Montreal and Toronto each year, so all of her prior Canadian Open experience had been in Toronto. Still, she made her Montreal debut count—her serve stood out despite a handful of double faults, and she dominated on return, making a powerful first impression.

Now, the challenge is to keep the ball rolling! Since capturing the 2021 US Open title as a teenage qualifier, Raducanu’s still chasing her next big trophy. But grit defines her game. She’s not backing down—she’s leaning in, ready for whatever comes next!

Emma Raducanu shows grit for the hard-court season

Raducanu’s 2024 story is turning around fast. She started the year ranked outside the top 300, but the latest WTA live rankings have her back up at No.33. Sure, it’s not her career-best—she soared as high as No.10 in 2022—but her comeback is catching fire. This year, with 22 wins from 37 matches, Raducanu is putting in the work.

During a recent DC Open interview, Emma heard she’d won 8 of her last 11 and reached her highest ranking in three years. That made her pause and smile. “It sounds great when you say it like that,” she said, before admitting just how much effort it’s taken to regain her form. “It’s been a lot of hard work, a long time struggling. I’m just really pleased to kind of pick up this form, this momentum, this confidence.”

She’s leaning into the process more than ever. Daily practice, steady improvement—these are what fuel her. “It takes some pressure off the result, so then that’s when the results come, it’s kind of ironic. So, I’m really pleased and I guess my goal is to keep enjoying each day and winning as many as possible and creating the streak that I was kind of talking about, but yeah, obviously ranking-wise…” The grind is paying off, and Raducanu isn’t done yet.

Her DC Open run ended against Anna Kalinskaya, but not before Raducanu reclaimed the British No.1 ranking from Katie Boulter. Next, she faces Peyton Stearns—an opponent she’s beaten twice before. The court’s set and Emma Raducanu’s got momentum. Can she make it three in a row against the American and punch her ticket to the R16? We want to hear your thoughts. Let’s hear them in the comments!