Emma Raducanu has drawn a qualifier in the Madrid Open first round and could meet world No 1 Iga Swiatek in the second round. Raducanu, 19, received a very favorable first-round matchup in Madrid. Swiatek, seeded at No 1, has a first-round bye in Madrid.
If Raducanu wins her Madrid opener, she will face the toughest possible opponent at Caja Magica – Swiatek.
Madrid WTA 1000 draw pic.twitter.com/ZiJmOhNlqJ
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) April 23, 2023
Last year, Swiatek went undefeated through the entire clay season.
During the 2022 clay season, Swiatek defeated Raducanu in Stuttgart.
Will Raducanu stand a chance if she meets Swiatek?
This past week, Swiatek won the Stuttgart title. On the other side, Raducanu suffered a brutal 6-2 6-1 loss to Jelena Ostapenko in the Stuttgart first round.
Swiatek has gotten off to a much better start to the clay season it is no secret that the Pole is a much better player on clay than Raducanu. However, it should be noted that Raducanu actually performed well when she met Swiatek on the clay courts of Stuttgart last year.
In what was their first-ever meeting in the 2022 Stuttgart quarterfinal, Swiatek defeated Raducanu 6-4 6-4. If Raducanu and Swiatek meet in Madrid, there is no doubt that Swiatek will be the heavy favorite. But Raducanu cannot be counted out, considering the fact that she competed well against Swiatek on clay last year.
After beating Aryna Sabalenka in the Stuttgart final, Swiatek said she wants to remain focused on tennis. “The beginning of the season was so tough that I’m happy to be in that place now. I just hope I’m gonna kind of continue having that good mindset without looking at all this stuff.
I don’t care, honestly. I just want to play good tennis. I don’t want to think about all that stuff that is usually bothering us. I was able to do that here. I really like playing on clay, so I just hope I’m gonna focus on just tennis, you know, just playing,” Swiatek said.
