Fresh off a heartbreaking French Open campaign, Emma Raducanu receives a major good news

British tennis star Emma Raducanu has been handed a significant boost following a disheartening early exit at Roland Garros, where she fell to defending champion Iga Swiatek in the second round. The 2025 season has mirrored her previous year's struggles thus far, marked by inconsistency and the absence of a singles title. While she showed promise reaching the quarter-finals at the HSBC Championships, the quest for a tournament victory is yet to be fulfilled

However, amidst this challenging period, a fresh wave of optimism has arrived, offering a potential turning point to reignite her confidence and season.

Emma Raducanu ascends to British No. 1

The source of this uplifting news stems from the latest shift in the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) rankings. Emma Raducanu has officially reclaimed the title of British No. 1, dethroning Katie Boulter from the top national spot. This significant shift was triggered by their contrasting fortunes at the prestigious Queen's Club Championships this week.

Emma Raducanu secured her place in the tournament's quarter-finals with a convincing 6-4, 6-1 victory over Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova. This win propelled her upwards in the live rankings. Conversely, Katie Boulter, who had held the British No. 1 position, suffered a second-round defeat at Queen's, falling to the talented fifth seed Diana Shnaider 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. Boulter's exit confirmed Raducanu's ascent to the summit of British women's tennis when the new rankings are published next week.

This marks Raducanu's return to the pinnacle of British tennis for the first time since June 2023. Her lengthy absence from the top national spot coincided with a difficult period recovering from surgeries on both wrists and an ankle, which sidelined her for eight months and saw her ranking plummet outside the top 300.

Her performance against Sramkova showcased glimpses of her potential. Raducanu started aggressively, dominating the return games and capitalizing on Sramkova's second serve to race to a commanding 5-0 lead in the first set.

Though she experienced a temporary dip in intensity, allowing Sramkova to claw back to 5-4, Raducanu regrouped emphatically to close out the set. She maintained control throughout the second set, securing a 5-1 lead and, crucially this time, converting it into a straight-sets victory without faltering.

Adding to the positive atmosphere surrounding Emma Raducanu at Queen's is the presence of both Mark Petchey, guiding her throughout the grass-court swing, and her former coach Nick Cavaday, who had stepped back earlier in the year due to health reasons. This reunion of trusted voices within her support team signals stability.

Despite pre-tournament concerns about back spasms that had hampered her preparation before the French Open and during the Strasbourg Open, Raducanu has displayed impressive physical condition this week. This was evident not only in her singles wins but also in her participation in two doubles matches alongside Katie Boulter – only the second doubles appearance of her career. Her quarter-final opponent will provide a sterner test, facing either top seed Zheng Qinwen or McCartney Kessler.

Following her singles victory, Raducanu paid tribute to her doubles partner and national rival, writing "Long live Boultercanu" on the camera lens. She later acknowledged the emotional challenge of bouncing back quickly after their doubles quarter-final loss the previous day.