Emma Raducanu began her 2025 Canadian Open journey with a confident straight-sets victory over Elena-Gabriela Ruse, winning 6-2, 6-4. Raducanu, currently ranked No. 33 in the world, further solidified her strong performance at the tournament following a deep run last week at the Citi Open in Washington, where she reached the semi-finals before being stopped by Anna Kalinskaya. This marks yet another step forward in Raducanu’s promising North American hard-court season.

Raducanu’s next opponent will be American Peyton Stearns, a player who has rapidly made a name for herself on the WTA Tour. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio on October 8, 2001, Stearns began playing tennis at eight years old and distinguished herself in college tennis. At the University of Texas, she became the first player from the school to win the NCAA women’s singles title and contributed to consecutive NCAA team championships.

Turning professional in June 2022 after her collegiate career, Stearns quickly made waves by reaching two WTA finals on clay and achieving notable victories over top-10 players Zheng Qinwen and Madison Keys. Her best Grand Slam result came at the 2023 US Open, where she advanced to the round of 16, with hard courts remaining her favorite surface according to her WTA bio.

Despite some recent struggles, including a loss to 45-year-old Venus Williams at last week’s Citi Open, Stearns remains a formidable opponent. Her highest ranking to date was No. 28, achieved following her semi-final appearance at the 2025 Rome WTA 1000 event.

The head-to-head between Raducanu and Stearns presently favors Raducanu 2-0. Raducanu secured both victories on hard courts earlier this year, including a tightly contested match in Seoul that Raducanu described as “more of a dogfight,” highlighting the tough conditions and competitive nature of their rivalry.

The two are scheduled to meet in the second round at the Canadian Open, with the order of play yet to be announced.

Emma Raducanu secured a hard-earned victory over close friend Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the opening round of the 2025 Canadian Open, a WTA 1000 event held in Montreal. Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, dispatched the world No. 58 with a 6-2, 6-4 scoreline.

In a match marked by intense moments, Raducanu saved five break points early on before breaking Ruse twice to capture the first set comfortably. The second set saw Raducanu broken twice after gaining the advantage, but she claimed the decisive break at 4-4 and then served out the match. This victory extends her head-to-head record against the 27-year-old Romanian to 2-0.

Raducanu is building momentum following recent strong performances, including a semifinal appearance at a WTA 500 tournament in Washington D.C., where she has won four of her last five matches. In her on-court interview, Raducanu reflected on the challenge of facing a close friend: “I’m so happy to have come through that. I know Elena, she’s a very good friend of mine. It’s very difficult to play someone you are close to, so I am really proud of how I put that to one side for the match and also backed up a strong week in DC and performed well today. Yeah, just really happy and loved playing here for the first time. It is extremely difficult [playing someone you know so well], we have spent a lot of time together off court, practices, and she is a great girl, so it is not nice when you have to see her name in the draw, but I am really pleased with how I performed myself.”

The British player’s ranking has fluctuated recently; her semifinal run in Washington lifted her to 33rd in the WTA rankings, but a drop in points from last year’s quarter-final appearance at the Citi Open caused her to fall to 42nd in live rankings. Her win in Montreal has raised her to 39th, with an opportunity to climb higher. Raducanu’s next opponent is 37th-ranked Peyton Stearns, and a victory would see Raducanu advance to 37th in the live rankings, overtaking both Stearns and Olga Danilovic.

Notably, Raducanu did not compete in either the Canadian Open or the Cincinnati Open last year, positioning her well to improve her ranking ahead of the US Open.

Eugenie Bouchard has chosen to extend her professional tennis career by at least one more match following a hard-fought victory at the National Bank Open in Montreal. On Monday, Bouchard defeated Emiliana Arango in three sets, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2, marking her first WTA Tour win since 2023 and the 300th victory of her career.

The 31-year-old Canadian, a former Wimbledon finalist and one-time top-five player, had announced earlier this month that she would retire after competing in her home tournament. Despite largely turning her focus to pickleball this season and playing just one match before Montreal, she received a wild card into the event.

Bouchard’s victory featured a strong finish in the deciding set, where she broke 82nd-ranked Arango twice, including a forehand winner and capitalizing on an error from Arango. Despite Arango breaking back, Bouchard held serve and closed the match on her second match point. After her win, she warmly acknowledged the crowd by waving and blowing kisses from center court.

“I told my family that if I won, I would come out of retirement,” Bouchard said. “I felt like the old Genie out there.”

She is set to face the tournament’s 17th seed, Belinda Bencic, in the next round. This victory has offered Bouchard a memorable extension to her tennis journey on the very courts in her hometown where she first captured the imagination of tennis fans worldwide.