💸 What Did Emma Raducanu Actually Win at the China Open?
Her defeat to Jessica Pegula may have left fans stunned, but the real shocker lies in just how much she walked away with—in more ways than one.
🏅 Ranking Points: A Modest Boost
Because Raducanu had missed the China Open in both 2023 and 2024 due to injury, she entered this year’s event with nothing to defend. That meant every point she earned here would be pure gain.
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Merely entering the tournament secured her 10 ranking points.
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Her second-round victory over Cristina Bucsa bumped her to 65 points—which is what she ultimately settled for, after falling in the third round.
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Had she made it to the Round of 16 (fourth round), she would have earned 120 points, but she came up short.
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With the added 65 points, she climbed to 1,563 points in the WTA live rankings and jumped two places to world No. 30 (provisionally).
So although she exited earlier than hoped, the ranking impact was still positive—no losses to defend, only new gains.
💰 Prize Money: Not Quite the Jackpot
Raducanu’s China Open paycheck reflects both the risk and reward of her short stay in Beijing:
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As a seeded player, she bypassed the first round and was guaranteed at least $35,260 simply by making the Round of 64.
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After her win over Bucsa, she upgraded her guaranteed haul to $60,400, which is the amount she walked away with following her loss to Pegula in Round 3.
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For context: a Round of 16 berth would have earned her $103,225, and the tournament champion pockets a staggering $1,124,380.
So while $60,400 is hardly pocket change, it’s a fraction of what top performers in the event took home.
🔍 Big Picture Takeaways
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Raducanu’s third-round exit was painful—she even held three match points in the second set but couldn’t convert them.
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But looking beyond the loss, she emerges with something to show: 65 fresh ranking points and $60,400 in prize money.
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The collision of high stakes and narrow margins here is a reminder that in professional tennis, what you lose by one swing can define what you gain tomorrow.
