Emma Raducanu’s resurgence has been the talk of the town in the tennis world this season. She didn’t have a great start in 2025 and made quite a few early exits this year. But things started to change for the Brit at the Miami Open. In Miami, she reached the QF of a WTA 1000 event for the very first time in her career. After that, came the clay court swing, and clay is a surface that doesn’t come naturally to Raducanu (like most British players). She reached the second round in Madrid before making it to the R16 in Rome (Italian Open). Next up for her is the Internationaux de Strasbourg. Raducanu will face Australia’s Daria Kasatkina in her first match. Can she beat the former world number 8 and make yet another impressive start to a tournament ahead of her French Open campaign?
Emma Raducanu vs Daria Kasatkina: Preview
Emma Raducanu has struggled with a lot of injuries and a lack of form over the last few years. These are some of the reasons that have taken her out of contention for big titles recently. But in Miami, there were a lot of things to cheer for the British fans. She defeated the world number nine, Emma Navarro, in the second round (R64) in a three-set thriller and then went on to beat two other Americans (McCartney Kessler and Amanda Anisimova) in straight sets before going down to Jessica Pegula in the QF by 4-6,7-6(3),2-6. She carried forward that confidence even at the Italian Open, but unfortunately, her impressive run came to an end at the hands of Coco Gauff.
After losing to Gauff by 1-6,2-6, Raducanu said, “I just know that every day, I am trying to be the best version of myself. I am trying to win the day, and I have gotten back to that. I didn’t win on the match court today, but I am going to find a way to win the day, still today. But yeah, it was a tough one in the office. I just have to take a lot of positives.” She said she’s enjoying her games recently, and talking about enjoyment, Emma Raducanu was recently spotted having a bit of fun ahead of the Strasbourg Open. She was spotted watering the clay court ahead of the practice session. Is she keeping the stage fully ready for this mega battle against the Aussie?
Daria Kasatkina’s best performance this season came at the Adelaide International, where she reached the QF. But after that, she failed to make an impact in the rest of her tournaments. She’ll be entering this match against Raducanu, following her 4-6,2-6 defeat to Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the R64 of the 2025 Italian Open. Can she get the better of the 2021 US Champion in her first match in Strasbourg?
Raducanu vs Kasatkina: Head-to-Head
Well, the H2H record is well in favor of the Aussie! Daria Kasatkina has a 100% record (3-0) against Emma Raducanu. However, in their previous meeting, Raducanu had to give a walkover to Kasatkina due to an injury, after playing just one set in that match.
2022 Ostrava Open R32: Kasatkina 7-5,6-4.
2024 Eastbourne International QF: Kasatkina 6-2,6-2.
2024 Korea Open QF: Kasatkina 6-1 (w/o).
Prediction: Raducanu will win this match in three sets
Emma Raducanu has been in better form recently than Daria Kasatina, so that’s one of the big reasons why, despite having a clear edge in the H2H record, the Aussie will start this match as the second favorite. Raducanu (43) has a win-loss record of 11-9 this season, 4-2 on clay. While it’s 11-11 for Kasatkina (17) with 2-3 on clay. Perhaps that’s why this is a great opportunity for the Brit to open her account against the 2022 French Open semi-finalist.
Talking about their playing styles, Kasatkina loves playing on clay. Her style of play is often described as versatile and tactical, rather than relying solely on power. She is also known for her ability to change the rhythm and trajectory of the ball, outsmarting opponents with her intelligent play. Daria Kasatkina is often seen employing a variety of shots, including heavy topspin forehands, one-handed slice backhands, kick serves, drop shots, and even tweeners during her matches. However, her major concern has been the high number of double faults. She has already hit 99 double faults this season.
On the other side, Emma Raducanu is a right-handed baseline player known for her strong two-handed backhand and aggressive, early ball striking, She is particularly adept at taking the ball early on the forehand side, hitting deep, hard with good timing and hand skills. Her serve is also a key aspect of her game, featuring a strong, consistent delivery and a particularly effective wide, sliced serve. Other than that, Raducanu’s impressive tactical acumen, along with an aggressive court coverage ability, make her a really special player on the Tour. So, considering all these factors, I’m backing Raducanu to get through this contest with flying colors!
The post WTA Strasbourg: Emma Raducanu vs Daria Kasatkina; Preview, Head-to-Head, and Prediction appeared first on EssentiallySports.