Emma Raducanu brought more than just her tennis game to Cincinnati this year. The 2021 US Open champion found herself behind the wheel of something completely unexpected: a massive Cadillac Escalade that made her feel like she was driving a bus through Ohio’s streets.
What Did Emma Raducanu Say About Driving That Massive Cadillac Escalade?
The tournament’s official partner, Cadillac, provides each player participating in the 2025 Cincinnati Open with their own Cadillac Escalade. However, Raducanu didn’t expect to be doing the driving herself.
While speaking with The Guardian before the start of the 2025 Cincinnati Open, Raducanu revealed that she was the one to drive herself from the airport to her hotel. She expressed surprise at the size of the Cadillac Escalade, as she’s accustomed to driving smaller vehicles back home in England.
“I actually drove from the airport. I didn’t know I had a car, so I landed, and they were like: ‘Oh, you have a car,’ and it’s this massive Cadillac Escalade. So I’m like: ‘This is like a bus’. Obviously in England, we’re used to driving small cars, small roads, so I was a bit tight. Wrong side of the road as well. But it’s OK. I managed to get to the hotel,” Raducanu said.
The cultural adjustment went beyond just the vehicle’s size. Switching from England’s left-side driving to America’s right-side roads while navigating an unfamiliar SUV created its own challenge for the former World No. 10.
Since that initial airport-to-hotel adventure, Raducanu has entrusted her driving responsibilities to her new coach, Francisco Roig, who she said is handling the massive vehicle just fine.
“So far so good. It’s been tested too, in the dark, in the rain, in the sun. It’s fine,” she added.
Who r̶u̶l̶e run the court? Girls. pic.twitter.com/i4bZxqhytk
— Cincinnati Open (@CincyTennis) August 5, 2025
How Has Raducanu’s Form Been Leading Into Cincinnati?
The main draw matches of the WTA 1000 hard court tournament began on Aug. 7, 2025, and will continue until Aug. 18, 2025, at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio. Raducanu arrives with solid momentum from her North American hard-court swing.
Raducanu began her North American preparation at the 2025 Citi DC Open, where she secured victories over Marta Kostyuk, Naomi Osaka, and Maria Sakkari before falling to eventual runner-up Anna Kalinskaya in the semifinals. That strong showing carried into the Canadian Open, where she triumphed over Elena-Gabriela Ruse and Peyton Stearns in the first two rounds before being defeated by Amanda Anisimova in the third round.
The results represent a significant improvement from her last Cincinnati appearance. Raducanu last competed at the Cincinnati Open in 2022, where she registered a victory over Victoria Azarenka in the second round before being eliminated by Jessica Pegula in the third round.
Who Will Emma Raducanu Face in Her Opening Cincinnati Match?
Raducanu is seeded 30th at the 2025 Cincinnati Open and will commence her campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. The seeding provides her with a valuable advantage, allowing her to skip the opening round while other players battle through their first matches.
In her opening match, Raducanu will face Olga Danilovic, who secured her spot in the second round by defeating Katie Boulter in the first round, triumphing with a scoreline of 6-0, 7-5. The Serbian player’s dominant first-set performance against Boulter followed by a tighter second set suggests she’s finding her rhythm on the Cincinnati courts.
Raducanu and Danilovic have not yet met on the WTA Tour. Their upcoming second-round match at the WTA 1000 hard court tournament in Ohio will be the first time these two players compete against each other, adding an element of unpredictability to the encounter.
The winner of the second-round clash between Raducanu and Danilovic at the 2025 Cincinnati Open will advance to face either top seed Aryna Sabalenka or Marketa Vondrousova in the third round, setting up a potentially challenging path deeper into the tournament.
