Emma Raducanu has made an instant return into the Top 10 of the UTR (Universal Tennis Rating) rankings.
For context, the UTR rankings are different from official WTA rankings in many ways. The latter is specific to professional players competing on the women's circuit and is dependent on a points system calculated from results from actual Tour-level tournaments.
By contrast, the UTR rankings are a global rating system implemented to assess players' skill levels regardless of age, gender, or geography. It is the most used metric among amateurs, juniors, and college players.
Additionally, the UTR is impacted by several factors, such as the match outcome, tournament level, and even the caliber of opponents. So, Raducanu's rise into the Top 10 is not overly surprising, considering that she reached the quarterfinal in Eastbourne this week.
The primary cause of her sensational climb in the UTR rankings is that she earned her first-ever career Top 10 win at the event when she saved a match point in the round of 16 against Jessica Pegula. She completed the upset by rounding off the third set 7-5 in almost three hours.
The former US Open champion has also made a massive move in the live WTA rankings, climbing 33 places to 135th. If she can string two wins together at Wimbledon next week, she will most likely inch closer to rejoining the Top 100.
In the UTR, Raducanu is now ranked 10th with a rating of 12.71. She is above Maria Sakkari, Naomi Osaka, and Elina Svitolina. World No. 1 Iga Swiatek unsurprisingly leads the UTR rankings, too, ahead of Elena Rybakina in second place and Aryna Sabalenka in third spot.
Raducanu has been granted a Wimbledon main draw wild card and will face Russia's Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round. It will be her first appearance at the All England Club in two years.
0 Comments