Emma Raducanu received a pretty solid draw in Auckland and this could absolutely be the year when the Briton makes her breakthrough at the ASB Classic.
In her opening two matches at the tournament, the No. 6 seed will take on 117th-ranked Robin Montgomery before likely meeting world No. 89 Jule Niemeier.
In the Auckland quarterfinal, we could potentially see a rematch of the Wimbledon meeting between Raducanu and Lulu Sun - the New Zealander upset the Briton at The Championships last summer.
However, despite the Wimbledon loss, it would still be a favorable matchup for the 22-year-old.
For a place in the ASB Classic final, the British tennis star is projected to battle against top-seeded Madison Keys.
Should the 2021 US Open champion reach the Auckland final, her possible opponents include four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka and No. 2 seed Elise Mertens.
Raducanu didn't do particularly well in her first two Auckland campaigns
In her ASB Classic debut in 2023, the 22-year-old rolled her ankle and retired her round-of-16 match.
Last year, she also won her opening match but couldn't beat Elina Svitolina in the last-16.
Raducanu maybe didn't enjoy much success in her first two ASB Classic runs but she was high on the tournament's wish list for their 2025 edition.
Someone like Emma will always be on top of our list, shes a marquee player, her ranking doesnt really matter in terms of the star power that she brings to the tournament, ASB Classic tournament director Nicolas Lamperin said in November.
Its an investment but its worth it. Weve seen the effect on ticket sales, every time we have announced her there is always a major spike. We have also seen the reaction from our sponsors when we are having a discussion and sharing the possibility that she might be coming.
Raducanu has big plans for 2025 and kicking off her season with an Auckland title would be the ideal scenario.
