Exclusive Leak Reveals Emma Raducanu’s 2026 Season Starts With Career-Defining Nightmare Clash Against Vengeful Rival She hates amidst controversies due to…
Great Britain’s United Cup match schedule has been revealed and Emma Raducanu will face a humdinger season-opener as she will take on former world No 1 Naomi Osaka in Perth.
With Great Britain paired with Japan and Greece in Group E, there were always going to be some tasty rematches on the cards as Raducanu has faced both Osaka and Greece’s No 1 Maria Sakkari on the WTA Tour.
Greece and Japan will square off on January 2 before the latter faces Great Britain on January 4 at the RAC Arena and British No 1 Jack Draper will take on world No 92 Shintaro Mochizuki in the opening clash before four-time Grand Slam winner Osaka faces the 2021 US Open champion in the second match.
It will be a first-ever meeting between Draper and Mochizuki, but Osaka and Raducanu will square off for a second career meeting with the latter winning their previous clash 6-4, 6-2 with the match coming in the round of 16 match at the Mubadala Citi DC Open in July this year.
The 23-year-old was naturally pleased with her performance as she stated afterwards: “I thought it was going to be a really difficult match. Naomi, she’s won four Slams, she’s been world No 1, won Masters.
“She’s so dangerous, and on the hard courts I think she’s particularly comfortable, so I knew I was going to have to play really well and manage my own service games – which I’m really proud of how I did.
“I was kind of making some inroads in her service games after I got used to it a little bit. I’m really pleased with how I handled the ball speed and the conditions here in D.C.”
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She will no doubt be looking to copy that game plan for her next encounter against Osaka, but the latter has improved in recent months as she has climbed to No 16 in the WTA Rankings, while Raducanu will start the new year at No 29.
Great Britain will conclude their group phase against Greece on January 5 with Draper taking on Stefanos Tsitsipas before Raducanu faces world No 51 Sakkari in what will be their fifth top-level meeting.
Raducanu is yet to drop a set against the former world No 3 with a 4-0 lead in their head-to-head rivalry as she won their first-ever meeting 6-1, 6-4 in the semi-final of the 2021 US Open and then won 6-2, 6-3 in the round of 32 at Wimbledon in 2024.
They also faced each other twice in 2025 with the British No 1 winning 6-4, 6-2 in Dubai and 6-4, 7-5 in Washington DC.
The 2026 United Cup features 18 teams and they are divided into six groups. Each tie will consist of one men’s and one women’s singles match plus one mixed doubles encounter.
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The six group winners will go into the quarter-finals while the best runner-up in each city (Perth and Sydney) will also qualify for the last eight.
Great Britain finished top of their group in the 2025 edition, but then lost 3-0 in the quarter-final against Poland, who in turn lost the final 2-0 against the United States.
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WATCH: Rafael Nadal seen practicing with Alex Eala as he marks one year since retirement
It has been one year since Rafael Nadal officially called time on his extraordinary career — and the tennis icon marked the occasion by sharing footage of a special practice session with Alex Eala.
Tennis great Nadal, the winner of 22 Grand Slam singles titles, officially retired from the sport at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga last November, bringing one of the most storied sporting careers of all time to an end.
Wednesday marked one year since the Spaniard played his final match, a loss to Botic van de Zandschulp in Spain’s overall quarter-final exit to the Netherlands in the 2024 Finals.
Emotions were high as the Spaniard said farewell to the sport, with a later retirement ceremony also held at Roland Garros, where the ‘King of Clay’ won a historic 14 of his 22 major titles.
Since his retirement one year ago, Nadal has not been seen on court and has appeared to pursue new hobbies and a new life away from the game, with him and his wife, Mery, welcoming their second child earlier in 2025.
However, marking the first anniversary of his farewell from the sport, the 39-year-old has taken to social media to share a short video clip of him hitting with WTA rising star Eala.
Long touted as a potential future star of the women’s game, Eala has harnessed her talent at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca in recent years.
And, those efforts have paid off across what was a landmark 2025 season for the 20-year-old tennis trailblazer.
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Eala memorably beat three Grand Slam champions — Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and Iga Swiatek — on her way to the semi-final of the Miami Open in March.
That run at the WTA 1000 event saw her crack the top 100 of the WTA Rankings, becoming the first Filipina to reach that milestone, and she later became the first player from the Philippines in the Open Era to play a Grand Slam main-draw match at Roland Garros.
She would later reach her first WTA final in Eastbourne, and then won her first Grand Slam match at the US Open in August.
A landmark year ended in her breaking the top 50 of the WTA Rankings, and the Rafa Nadal Academy still provides her with vital support.
She still trains at the academy — where she hit with Nadal — and is coached by academy coach Joan Bosch, with Toni Nadal also present during her run at the Miami Open.
Eala has often spoken about her admiration for the 22-time Grand Slam winner, meaning the opportunity to hit with him is likely one she will never forget.
One year later, it felt great to be back on a tennis court!
It was great to practice with you @AlexEala05! Next time I will be stronger pic.twitter.com/XMHkkVvfWh
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