Emma Raducanu is back in a final - and for the first time since her unforgettable US Open run five years ago, she’ll be playing for a trophy.
At the WTA 250 Transylvania Open in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, Raducanu, the tournament’s top seed, battled her way past unseeded Ukrainian Oleksandra Oliynykova in a gritty, three-set semifinal that tested every ounce of her resilience. The final score: 7-5, 3-6, 6-3. But the numbers only tell part of the story.
This marks a significant breakthrough for Raducanu, who had gone 0-3 in tour-level semifinals since that historic 10-match winning streak at Flushing Meadows in 2021, when she shocked the tennis world by becoming the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam singles title in the Open Era. Friday’s win wasn't just about advancing - it was about reclaiming her footing on the big stage.
And it didn’t come easy.
Raducanu had to dig deep against world No. 91 Oliynykova, who’s been riding a wave of momentum after a standout showing at the Australian Open, where she stunned 2025 champion Madison Keys. That performance helped propel her to her first-ever tour-level semifinal this week, and she didn’t show any signs of nerves against the top seed.
Early on, it looked like Raducanu might cruise. Despite needing medical treatment for her shoulder late in the first set, she still managed to grab the opener 7-5 and build a 3-1 lead in the second. But Oliynykova flipped the script with fearless hitting and relentless pressure, rattling off five straight games - seven of the next eight - to take the second set and become the first to break serve in the third.
That’s when Raducanu showed the kind of championship mettle that made her a household name in 2021. From 2-1, 15-15 in the final set, she reeled off 16 consecutive points - a stunning stretch of dominance that turned the match on its head.
Even after missing two match points on Oliynykova’s serve at 4-2, Raducanu didn’t flinch. She saved two break points in the final game and closed it out after two hours and 49 minutes of high-stakes tennis.
This wasn’t just a win - it was a statement. Raducanu proved she can still grind through the kind of physical, emotional, and tactical battle that defines the late stages of a tournament. She’s back in a final, and she earned every bit of it.