Emma Raducanu could face Katie Boulter in the second round of the Cincinnati Open, as both ramp up their preparations for the US Open.
Raducanu, seeded No 30, has received a first-round bye and will meet British rival Boulter, providing she comes through her first-round clash with Serbian Olga Danilovic.
Boulter holds a perfect head-to-head record against Raducanu, including a semi-final win on route to defending her Nottingham Open title in 2024.
Both players are using the WTA 1000 event as a key warm-up for the final Grand Slam of the season, live on Sky Sports from August 24.
Their potential path to the final could include clashes with top seeds such as defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, world No 2 Coco Gauff and No 3 Iga Swiatek.
Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, is hoping to continue her recent resurgence and secure a seeded spot ahead of her return to Flushing Meadows.
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Watch highlights of the WTA match between Amanda Anisimova and Emma Raducanu at the National Bank Open.
Her season highlights include a quarter-final run at the Miami Open, a round-of-16 finish at the Italian Open, and a last-eight showing at Queen’s Club.
Raducanu also reached the semi-finals at the Citi Open following a third-round exit at Wimbledon to world No 1 Sabalenka.
In the men’s draw, Britain’s Cameron Norrie received a first-round bye will face either Roberto Bautista Agut or Daniel Altmaier in round two.
US Open announces record prize money
Jannik Sinner (L) defeated Taylor Fritz (R) to win the 2024 US Open title at Flushing Meadows
The US Open has announced £67m ($90m) in prize money will be on offer at this year’s final major, up from £56m ($75m) in 2024.
The men’s and women’s singles winners will earn £3.7m ($5m), the largest champions’ payout.
Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff, and 2024 US Open champions Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner were among the 20 players who signed a letter to the chiefs of the four Grand Slam events in March seeking more prize money.
The players are in discussions with the other major tournaments – Wimbledon, French Open, and Australian Open – to secure a higher payout.
At Wimbledon, where Sinner and Iga Swiatek were crowned champions in 2025, the prize money increased around seven per cent, with the singles champions receiving £2.9m ($4m) apiece.
Watch the US Open in New York live on Sky Sports from August 24 to September 7, or stream with NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.
