Emma Raducanu learns what Serena Williams' ex-coach thinks of her after Aryna Sabalenka incident

Emma Raducanu has been tipped for a comeback at the US Open by Rick Macci, a former coach to six-time champion Serena Williams. The 22-year-old's impressive run at the Cincinnati Open was halted in a nail-biting third-round match against world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

Despite pushing the Belarusian star close in Ohio, Raducanu narrowly lost out with a score of 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-7(5). She also made headlines when she requested a crying baby be removed from the venue during the match's closing stages.

Sabalenka herself admitted feeling the pressure during their match, which was the most competitive between the pair to date. However, Macci, who mentored both Serena and older sister Venus in their early years, believes Raducanu could make waves at Flushing Meadows later this month.

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The 2025 US Open is set to kick off soon, with Raducanu aiming to clinch her second Grand Slam title four years after her stunning victory in New York. And Macci believes the signs were on display in Cincinnati that she's due a resurgence.

"Great competitive effort from Emma against Sab," he wrote on X (via the Daily Express). "The secret sauce with a win or loss. She never lost the skill just the will.

"Now all about the battle and harder to rattle. Can deliver shock waves in New York by going into each fight with a knife not a fork."

Raducanu's performance in 2025 has shown significant improvement, either matching or surpassing her previous career-best results in both the Australian Open (third round) and the French Open (second round). She also reached the third round of Wimbledon, where she faced another defeat to Sabalenka in straight sets.

The player was chuffed with her enhanced performance against her top-ranked opponent this week. Sabalenka, on the other hand, seemed to have a bit of a struggle with her fitness, admitting as much in her post-match interview.

"The whole time, this is what they call ageing," she told the Tennis Channel. "I was like, 'This is what it feels like to be old.' I looked at Emma, and she was like pumped and ready to play the next point. I was there still trying to recover my breath, and I was like, 'What's going on?'"

At just 27, Sabalenka is far from her twilight years. However, the sweltering conditions in Ohio had her questioning why her conditioning wasn't up to scratch, highlighting a clear area for improvement ahead of the US Open.

"I couldn't believe I was getting old, I looked at Jason [and] didn't say anything, but we need to do something because I'm getting old," she continued. "Maybe we'll do extra recovery, a bit more stretching [and] mobility to make sure my old body will be able. I'll be fighting and ready, but it just sucks feeling old."

Raducanu has yet to triumph over Sabalenka in their three encounters to date. Their first match took place at Indian Wells last year and was another straight-sets result.

The Briton has not progressed past the first round of the US Open in her two attempts since clinching the major back in 2021. However, the Toronto-born starlet is hopeful a return to form could set the stage for a more formidable title bid this time around.