From winning the US Open at 18 to dropping down to number 303 in the world, Emma Raducanu knows the ladder all too well. Struggling with injuries, she has failed to bring consistent performances to the court over the past few years. Last year, she underwent surgeries on both wrists and one of her ankles. On her return, amongst a mixed bag of performances, Raducanu led Great Britain to an emphatic victory over France to secure a place in the BJK Cup Finals in Seville. Can she carry forward this momentum at the Stuttgart Open?

Emma Raducanu will take on the two-time champion of the Stuttgart Open, Angelique Kerber in the tournament’s first round. It won’t be easy defeating the German tennis legend on her home soil, but Raducanu believes she has played the best tennis of her life this month.

Emma Raducanu vs Angelique Kerber: Preview

Emma Raducanu played her last match against France’s Diane Parry at the BJK Cup qualifiers. In that match, she defeated her by 4-6,6-1,7-6(1). Before this, she took part in the Indian Wells Masters where she was defeated by Aryna Sabalenka by 6-3,7-5. If we look at Raducanu’s performance against world number 2, the Brit hit only 1 ace throughout the game and committed 4 double faults. She won 65% of her first serve and 71% of her second. Raducanu, moreover, won 7 of her service games against Sabalenka.

Angelique Kerber returned to the tour in January after giving birth to her daughter last year. She’s now looking forward to making a winning start to her clay court season on her home soil. Kerber played her last match in Miami against the American tennis star, Sloane Stephens. In that match, Stephens defeated her by 6-2,6-3. Kerber failed to hit even a single ace in that match but committed 3 double faults. Her first serve win percentage in that match was 58% while it was only 31% in the second serve. She won 4 of her service games against Stephens.

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In 2024, Emma Raducanu has managed to hit 24 aces and committed 37 double faults so far this season. While Angelique Kerber has hit only 9 aces and committed 32 double faults. Raducanu won 66.3% of her service games and 35% of her return games in 2024. While Kerber has won 52.4% of her service games and 33.1% of her return games so far. Now, if look at the first serve win percentage, then Raducanu has won 63.2% of her first serve while Kerber has managed to win only 54.6% of her first serves this year.

Raducanu vs Kerber: Head-to-Head

Both the tennis players are Grand Slam champions. Raducanu has won it once in her career so far, while Kerber has tasted success at the major events thrice in her illustrious career. Raducanu is currently placed 29 spots above Kerber in the WTA singles ranking, but they haven’t yet met each other on the tour before. It’s the former world number one from Germany versus the former number ten from Great Britain. Kerber won this tournament twice while Raducanu reached the QF in Stuttgart in 2022. Who has the edge in this enticing contest?

Prediction: Raducanu to win this battle between the former Grand Slam champions

The 36-year-old Angelique Kerber has long passed her golden days, but she’d surely be aiming to clinch a few more titles before putting an end to her astonishing career. Reacting on her return to Stuttgart, Kerber said it’s “fantastic” to return here and play in front of the German crowd. She believes playing on German soil will give her “extra motivation.”

Angelique Kerber currently has a win-loss record of 4-8 this season, compared to Emma Raducanu’s 5-5 record in 2024. Kerber hasn’t played on the clay court for a while now. Raducanu on the other hand, was forced to take both of her matches on the clay court this season to three sets. So, don’t be surprised if this match goes a little deeper than expected but looking at the current form, the Brit looks slightly ahead of the Gerrman in this faceoff.