Raducanu reached the QFs at Queen’s Club two weeks ago.
No. 7 seed Emma Raducanu begins another home turf campaign, as her Wimbledon preparation lands her in the 2025 Lexus Eastbourne Open. The British sensation takes on Ann Li of the USA in the Round of 32 on Tuesday. The winner of this match will face Maya Joint in the Round of 16 stage.
With defending champion Daria Kasatkina already shown the exit doors, Eastbourne presents a solid opportunity for Emma Raducanu to cement her grass court ability. The World No. 38, once a Top-10 player, has endured a turbulent 2025 season. Raducanu displayed an immaculate level of play during her two quarterfinal runs in Miami and Queen’s Club, but failed to remain consistent. The 2021 US Open champ has won 72% service games on grass thus far.
One of the young American talents to go unnoticed, Ann Li started the year strong by defeating the likes of Daria Saville and Anna Kalinskaya en route to a finals run in Singapore. The 24-year-old has grown up idolising Roger Federer, and self- admittedly enjoys grass more than other surfaces. Li ended the 2024 season by re-entering the Top-100 after a runner-up finish at Merida. She has a 15-13 record this year, and a service game win ratio of 70.8% on grass.
Raducanu and Li will exchange eyes from across the net for the very first time on Tuesday. Their head-to-head record currently stands at 0-0.
| Emma Raducanu | Category | Ann Li |
| 1 | Grand Slams | 0 |
| 1 | WTA Singles Titles | 1 |
| 0 | WTA Doubles Titles | 0 |
| 0 | WTA-1000 Titles | 0 |
| – | Olympics Best Performance | – |
| No. 38 | Current World Ranking | No. 64 |
There is no questioning the fact that if the match becomes a tussle from the baseline, Raducanu is the clear favourite. The American has a more compact style of play – with an amalgamation of acute angles, accurate placement and agile net approaches. The only way for her to throw her proficient 22-year-old counterpart off is by guiding slice deep into the sidelines and testing Raducanu’s passing shot. Unfortunately, her serve will be under immense pressure from the Brit.
Prediction: Emma Raducanu in straight sets.
"Of course I was going to say yes." 🤩
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) June 23, 2025
Emma Raducanu explains how Carlos Alcaraz asked her to be his US Open doubles partner 🤝 pic.twitter.com/gVHz8i6Xt0
Emma Raducanu is the clear favourite in this Round of 32 vs Ann Li. She has an 80% chance of entering the next round, going by the implied probability on the money line. Here are the odds for the result (as per BetMGM):
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Unfortunately for the American tennis buffs, the pre-match odds are stacked against their starlet. She is unlikely to cross 8.5 games throughout the match, according to the betting market. Here are the in-match odds (as per BetMGM):
(According to BetMGM: BetMGM offers exclusive promo codes, bonus deals and accurate odds for users upon signing up. Use BetMGM to ace your betting game in all sports!)
A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.
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