Tennis news: Emma Raducanu set for another huge setback as Michelle Obama helps star
The Grand Slam season is nearing an end with the US Open set to come to a close this weekend. The New York tournament has hosted several blockbuster matches this month, with Ben Shelton’s five-set upset victory over Carlos Alcaraz ranking above all. The 23-year-old’s reward for besting the former world No. 1 is an all-American semi-final clash against Frances Tiafoe.
The winner of the match at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday will achieve their first Grand Slam final appearance, where they’ll take on the winner of Alexander Zverev vs Karen Khachanov. Elsewhere in the tennis world, Emma Raducanu has been rocked by her latest setback, while former First Lady Michelle Obama offered a heartfelt message at Flushing Meadows.
Raducanu battle
It’s been an injury-hit summer season for Raducanu, who was forced to pull out of Wimbledon and the US Open due to a stress fracture in her lower right leg. The disappointment of her absences from the events hit harder, given her impressive play at Queen’s, where she reached the final but lost to Donna Vekic.
After being out of action for 12 weeks, the former US Open champion is closing in on a return after she posted a video of herself hitting a serve at the LTA’s National Tennis Centre. A return to the court for the British star can only mean good things for the sport, but Raducanu will have to contend with her WTA ranking dropping dramatically to world No. 70.
While she’ll be able to gain entry to some events due to her protected ranking, a potential drop out of the top 100 means Raducanu would be forced to qualify for Grand Slam events again.
Michelle Obama response
Obama had a front-row seat for Coco Gauff’s devastating semi-final defeat to Elena Rybakina on Friday. The home favourite won the opening set but was eventually undone by the newly-crowned world No. 1, who won 3-6 6-4 6-4. Gauff – who won the tournament in 2023 – was heavily supported by the US crowd and had a firm fan in the former First Lady.
The 62-year-old offered a sincere message to the 22-year-old on social media after her defeat. Obama took to X and wrote: “Big hugs to @CocoGauff !!! She’s a joy to watch. Always proud. Go USA Tennis!!” In her post-match press conference, Gauff admitted she deserved to lose to the Kazakhstani star.
She said: “She played really well, I thought it was a good match. It honestly came down to a couple service games of mine in both sets and I didn’t quite hold. I have to look back and see what happened. She does a great job of just being there every point and putting a lot of pressure on you, service game and return game. She was able to hold the line a bit better than I could tonight.”
