Emma Raducanu endured a decisive third-round defeat at the 2025 US Open, losing 6-1, 6-2 to 10th-ranked Elena Rybakina. The result left the British player at world No 36 and highlighted the distance between her current form and the tour’s leading names.

Raducanu remains the only qualifier in history to win a Grand Slam, after her stunning 2021 US Open run as an 18-year-old ranked 150th, when she claimed the title without dropping a set. That early triumph is still her sole career title, but the years since have been interrupted by injury. She underwent surgeries on both her wrists and her ankle in 2023.

The 22-year-old has shown greater consistency since March, when she began working with Mark Petchey at the Miami Open. Petchey has since been replaced by Francisco Roig, another coach mentioned in her recent team changes. Those adjustments have coincided with her most steady stretch of results since the start of the season.

Legendary coach Rick Macci, who worked with Serena and Venus Williams, believes Raducanu has the tools to return to the top tier but faces two main obstacles. “One thousand percent, she is a top ten talent. And let’s face it, there’s a fine line between winning and losing. There’s a fine line with that confidence,” said the American, who coached Serena and Venus Williams.

On the practical challenges, Macci was direct. “I think it’s two things, I just think that she needs to keep competing and play on her instincts and not overthink it. That’s number one,” Macci assessed.

He added a second, stubborn constraint. “But I think the wildcard with her is to stay injury-free. You gotta understand, she kind of had the daily double on the comeback, you know, she had surgery and then you don’t play for a while. So, you’re not playing, and an injury — that takes a long time.

“So, if she can stay injury-free and just get a lot of matches, get some good wins. And let’s face it, anybody who plays her, they know that she’s capable of beating them now. Maybe they didn’t look at it a year ago, but now that she’s dropped a few players, played a lot of players close… and she has weapons.

“Listen, if you can hurt people and you have weapons, you can beat anybody, anytime, anywhere. She’s definitely top 10 and it could happen a lot sooner than later.”

Coco Gauff advanced to the third round of the US Open after a 7-6(5), 6-2 win over Donna Vekic, but the match left clear signs of physical discomfort and technical uncertainty. The 2023 US Open champion was broken four times and appeared to be wrestling with a recently tweaked service motion.

Former world No 1 Lindsay Davenport urged a calmer perspective on expectations. “It’s interesting, it’s 6-5 up, Donna Vekic breaks to serve for the first set, she calls an injury time-out,” analysed Davenport. “There’s about a seven-minute break. After a few minutes, Gauff went out to serve. Hits every single one of the 15 serves she tried to hit on both the deuce and sides.

“And so it really gives you a sense that in tennis, what you don’t want to do is overthink, and she’s now trying to learn new grips and new technique, and it’s just all too much for her.

“It seems like everyone’s got to take a step back and just say, ‘You know what, just go play. Let’s go try and figure out this last major of the year, then we can catch our breath.’ But that was heartbreaking to see.”

After the match Gauff showed emotion during her on-court interview and spoke candidly about how she managed a difficult spell. “Honestly, today was a tough match for me, but I’m just happy with how I was able to manage,” she admitted. “It’s been a rough couple of weeks. I’m just happy to be back on this court, and you guys bring me so much joy. You guys really help me a lot.

“I’m doing this for myself, but I’m also doing it for you, and no matter how tough it gets inside, you can do it.

“I was just trying to tell myself to breathe, and honestly, just putting another ball in the court and just trying to remember the things that I do well,” she said.

On the wider meaning of the victory, former world No 1 Jim Courier described the match as a display of character. “For me, this is the big picture, a remarkable story of resilience in an athlete,” he analysed. “She is so vulnerable in full view in the biggest tennis tournament in America, and she is the centrepiece of this tournament.

“So, what she’s doing, and this will happen at some point, there will be a movie on her life.

“Look, whether it’s a documentary or whether it is a feature film like King Richard, this will be a big part of that, because I’m sure this is going to be a pivot point for her with her serve, and that’s going to be something that she will ultimately put behind her.

“But the emotions of these moments, it is really theatrical and she is inspirational for all of us. Incredible.”

John McEnroe offered a clear appraisal of Jannik Sinner’s progress and the role of his coach after a season that has combined major success with off-court controversy. McEnroe praised the Italian’s recent form and highlighted the impact Darren Cahill has had since joining Sinner’s team.

Sinner arrives at the 2025 US Open as the favourite and reigning champion after winning his first New York title last year. Now world No 1, he is chasing a fourth straight hard-court major and a fifth Grand Slam overall. He also captured his first major on natural grass at Wimbledon last month, defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the final.

Sinner missed early-season Masters 1000 events following a suspension that ran from February 9 to May 4 this year, imposed after two failed doping tests in March 2024. He returned to competition at the Italian Open and has remained one of the sport’s most closely watched figures.

Speaking on ESPN, McEnroe singled out Sinner’s coaching changes and early development. “I know his original coach when he was a kid, Riccardo Piatti, who did a great job with him,” said the former world No 1.

“But he felt like he needed something more, just like Coco [Gauff] has decided to get a new coach. Darren Cahill is one of the greatest coaches that you will ever see in any sport, he should be in the Hall of Fame.

“He coached [Andre] Agassi, Simona Halep, Lleyton Hewitt. He has done a number with Jannik Sinner, made him more of a believer, changed his serve.”

McEnroe admitted he had been surprised by how quickly Sinner’s game has matured. “He is incredible in and out of the corners,” continued the American.

“Sinner is playing at a level that I did not anticipate would be that high at this point in his career. I am very amazed that he is this good. I have watched him for years, he is a great kid.

“He went through a lot of turmoil with these doping violations, I don’t know exactly what has happened in terms of what went on, but the bottom line is that there was a lot of pressure here [at the US Open] when he played [in 2024].

“He handled that, he went to Australia and it was revisited. He handled that great.

“He got three months, maybe that could have helped him a little bit to regroup, but all in all, he has been a huge plus for our game.”