Raducanu Is Back In A Final.
After a near five-year gap since her fairy-tale US Open run, Emma Raducanu ended a long drought by beating Oleksandra Oliynykova in the Transylvania Open semis, producing a run of 16 consecutive points that decided a dramatic deciding set.
Raducanu Ends Long Final Drought With Transylvania Run
It was an incredible match, proud of how I competed, how I managed the match, I couldn’t have done it without everyone’s support,
Emma Raducanu
Raducanu, the tournament top seed and world No30, closed out a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 victory over the plucky Ukrainian in two hours and 49 minutes, finally converting a semifinal opportunity that had eluded her since 2021.
Oliynykova, ranked world No91, brought a quirky blend of ultra-defensive tennis and theatrical flair to the court, including temporary bat tattoos on her cheeks in nod to the region’s vampire folklore, forcing Raducanu to mix patience with well-timed aggression.
Oliynykova had come into this week with growing profile after parlaying a headline-grabbing performance against 2025 champion Madison Keys at the Australian Open, a result that helped fuel her first-ever tour-level semifinal and plenty of belief.
The decisive swing came when Raducanu rattled off 16 consecutive points from 2-1, 15-15 in the final set, a blitz that erased a momentum swing and allowed her to serve out the match after surviving sustained pressure.
She had earlier failed to convert two return match points in the seventh game of the final set and later held serve after saving a pair of break points, a stretch that underlined both resilience and clutch serving ability.
This run also represents a personal milestone after a turbulent four years filled with injuries, coaches and scrutiny; it came exactly 1,610 days after her US Open triumph and broke a streak of semi-final near-misses that had frustrated her progress.
How She Won It: Tactics And Turning Points
Without a permanent coach this week Raducanu had 27-year-old Brit Alexis Canter courtside, and showed an ability to think on her feet, varying aggression with patient point construction to counter Oliynykova’s unusual defensive approach.
The contrast to 2021 could not be greater: at Flushing Meadows she was the rankest outsider while at this modest WTA 250 event she turned up as the clear top seed, a change that alters how opponents and crowds perceive her.
The setting matters too: this is a WTA 250 event, a smaller stage than Flushing Meadows, and Raducanu comes here as the clear top seed rather than an unpredictable outsider, which underlines the contrast in expectation and pressure.
A Big Day For British Tennis
It was not only Raducanu’s day; Katie Boulter also reached a final in Ostrava, dominating American Katie Volynets 6-1, 6-3 to reach her first tour final since Hong Kong in October 2024 and restore some momentum to her season.
Boulter’s win over Volynets was emphatic and sets up a final against either Diane Parry or Tamara Korpatsch; for Boulter, the run gives a crucial opportunity to arrest a difficult 2024 and to remind fans of her potential.
GB’s men enjoyed results too as former Wimbledon doubles champions Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool finished off a 3-0 Davis Cup tie win over Norway, leaving Britain set to face either Australia or Ecuador in the race for an eight-team finals spot.
Crowd energy mattered in Cluj-Napoca as Raducanu received warm local support, partly due to the Romanian side of her family; she even spoke some Romanian in her winner’s remarks, an emotional touch appreciated by the stands.
Raducanu will await the winner of the Sorana Cirstea and Daria Snigur semi-final, but she already carries the important weight of local connection, having played in Romania where her father was born and delivering part of her winner’s remarks in Romanian.
Whatever happens next, this week represents tangible progress: the win feels like more than a result, it looks like the clearing of a psychological hurdle that has dogged her since that astonishing 2021 title, offering momentum into the clay and hard-court seasons.
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Christoph Friedrich is a German tennis player and coach currently residing in Oakland, California. He began his tennis journey at the age of eight and has since dedicated his life to the sport. After working as a tennis coach and hitting partner in New York City for eight years, Christoph decided to share his knowledge and experience with tennis players around the world by creating the My Tennis Expert blog. His goal is to make tennis education accessible to everyone and help players select the best equipment for their game, from racquets and strings to shoes and overgrips. Christoph's extensive research and expertise in tennis technology make him a valuable resource for players of all levels.
