Emma Raducanu suffered a 72-place ranking drop after failing to defend her US Open title –– so how is she seeded first for the Slovenia Open? 

Ahead of her title defence in New York, the teenager was ranked inside the world’s top 10 but suffered a first-round exit to France’s Alize Cornet. 

As a result, Raducanu lost more than 2000 points and now faces the uphill task of climbing the rankings once again. 

Her new ranking means the Brit will not be able to enter automatically for some WTA events and may have to rely on wildcards or winning qualifiers instead. 

However, the 19-year-old is the top seed in Slovenia, despite being ranked below the likes of Beatriz Haddad Maia and Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina. 

Why is Raducanu seeded first?

Raducanu’s seeding has come about as a result of the draw being made prior to the rankings update on September 11th, 2022. 

This means that the points won and lost by players at the US Open had not yet been taken into account and, therefore, Raducanu’s previous ranking of ninth was used to determine her seeding. 

It is harsh in many ways on the likes of Rybakina, who missed out on ranking points at Wimbledon and has been one of the best players in the world this year. 

Yet, it is a huge bonus for Raducanu, having helped grant her a favourable draw, which could see her boost her ranking immediately, following her disappointing exit at Flushing Meadows. 

How many ranking places could Raducanu rise?

The Slovenia Open, known as the Zavarovalnica Sava Portorož for sponsorship purposes, is a WTA 250 event –– meaning a maxim of 250 ranking points are on offer for the winner. 

Raducanu is currently ranked 83rd with 726 points and could end the week on as many as 976 if she emerges victorious. 

This would likely push her back up into the world’s top 60 and put her within touching distance of the top 50. 

The Brit still has a long way to go if she is to win her second WTA title, but her tournament has started well with a comfortable win over Dayana Yastremska. 

What does Raducanu think about her ranking drop? 

While dropping so many ranking places at once would be a difficult pill to swallow for many, Raducanu has remained optimistic and stressed that she was more than capable of rising through the ranks once again.

“If I lose 2,000 points, so be it, I’ll start again from the bottom,” Raducanu said. “I know I can do something that no one else has done. 

“I qualified and won the US Open, so I can start from the beginning, I can start from zero and I’m not afraid of that.”