Emma Raducanu has been handed a nightmare draw at the Cincinnati Open as the star is scheduled to face Aryna Sabalenka if she makes it through her first match. The Briton is heading to the Ohio tournament for the first time since 2022, with her only other appearance at the event resulting in a defeat to Jessica Pegula in the last-16.

Raducanu is heading to the USA off the back of a third round appearance at the Canadian Open, where she was thrashed 6-2, 6-1 by Amanda Anisimova. The 2021 US Open champion also featured in the Washington Open at the end of last month and reached the semi-finals before suffering heartache at the hands of Anna Kalinskaya. And she will need to be in top form in Cincinnati if she intends to reach the latter stages of the event.

Raducanu will face either Olga Danilovic or fellow Briton Katie Boulter in her opening match after being given a bye in round one. And if she comes out victorious, she is likely to face three-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka.

The two players went head-to-head in the third round of Wimbledon in July, with Raducanu aiming to reach the fourth round at SW19 for the second consecutive year.

But Sabalenka, who faces the winner of the match between Marketa Vondrousova and Jaqueline Cristian in her opener in Cincinnati, triumphed 7-6, 6-4 on the All England Club grass.

Liudmila Samsonova could lay in wait for Raducanu in the fourth round in Cincinnati should the Briton get revenge on Sabalenka.

And Raducanu may then be faced with the prospect of going up against either Madison Keys or Elena Rybakina in the quarter-finals.

Iga Swiatek or Amanda Anisimova would potentially be standing at the other end of the court should Raducanu progress to the semis, while one of Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula or Emma Navarro could be an opponent in the final.

Raducanu is currently ranked at No. 33 in the world after failing to progress beyond the fourth round of any Grand Slam since winning the US Open title as an 18-year-old.

And if she exits the Cincinnati Open in the early rounds, she is unlikely to be seeded when the final Grand Slam of the year gets underway in New York.

That means Raducanu could be handed another horror draw at the US Open later this month. The talented ace, who missed the 2023 edition of the US Open through injury, was knocked out by Sofia Kenin in the first round last year after losing to Alize Cornet in her opening match in 2022.

Emma Raducanu’s potential route at Cincinnati Open

R1 – Bye

R2 – Katie Boulter / Olga Danilovic

R3 – Aryna Sabalenka

R4 – Liudmila Samsonova

QF -Madison Keys / Elena Rybakina

SF – Iga Swiatek / Amanda Anisimova

F – Coco Gauff / Jessica Pegula / Emma Navarro