In pictures: Emma Raducanu dazzles in new look ahead of US Open series
Emma Raducanu has hogged the limelight since her extraordinary run at the US Open last year, where she became the first qualifier in history to win a Grand Slam singles title. However, Raducanu hasn't been able to live up to the lofty expectations that were established after her miraculous run.
The current British No. 1 was most recently knocked out in the second round of Wimbledon, adding to a string of poor results throughout the year. Although Raducanu won her opener against Belgium's Alison Van Uytvanck in dominant fashion, she fell to Caroline Garcia in straight sets at the very next hurdle.
Having now begun her preparations for her title defense at the New York Major next month, the Brit was recently seen sporting a new look - perhaps hoping for a change in fortunes as well. Hair stylist John Clark shared a few pictures on his social media handle after dying Raducanu's hair to give it a lighter shade than usual, sending fans into a tizzy on social media.
Sharing pictures of the new-look Emma Raducanu on Instagram, John Clark explained how he did his best to lift the teenager's natural hair color into a "multi tonal brunette" that will shimmer in the sunlight.
"When Emma Raducanu asks you to make her hair lighter you definitely have fun doing it. 🥰🥳 🎾😊 • • I used the John Frieda Salon's #glowlights technique to lift her naturally very dark base to a multi tonal brunette with lighter areas around the face and where the sunshine would naturally make it shimmer."
Emma Raducanu's upcoming tournaments
Emma Raducanu recently arrived in Florida to begin her training for the hardcourt season. A couple of days ago she started practice at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, hoping to get in shape for the most important part of her 2022 season.
The Brit will next take part in the Citi Open in Washington DC, which will begin on July 30. Emma Raducanu will be hoping to reach the latter stages of the tournament, something she hasn't been able to do as frequently as she would have liked in the ongoing season.
"Hey everyone. I am happy to announce that I am coming to DC to play a tournament this summer. I am really looking forward to it because I haven't been to the capital before and it should be good fun," Raducanu said.
Following that, the World No. 10 will make her debut at the twin WTA 1000 tournaments in the lead-up to New York -- the National Bank Open in Toronto (to begin on August 5) and the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati (to start on August 13).
@EmmaRaducanu enters the ranking at No.10 and is the fifth British woman to break into the Top 10 since the system was introduced!
Welcome to the Top 10 👋
🇬🇧 @EmmaRaducanu enters the ranking at No.10 and is the fifth British woman to break into the Top 10 since the system was introduced! https://t.co/2WIucaKWz4
The youngster has won only nine matches out of the 21 she has played in 2022 so far, suffering early exits in most of the tournaments she has played. Most worryingly, she wasn't able to go past the second round in any of the three Majors, a record she will want to correct at the US Open.