Emma Raducanu will have high hopes of breaking into the WTA top 50 with the British No 1 set for the Agel Open in Ostrava where she will open against Daria Kasatkina.
After winning the US Open as a qualifier last year, Raducanu’s first full pro season has seen the 19-year-old try to adjust to the gruelling nature of the WTA Tour.
The Briton, who is currently ranked No 66, has enjoyed notable wins over Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka and Sloane Stephens, and is fresh off a run to the semi-finals in Seoul.
Raducanu, who retired injured in the third set to former French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko in South Korea, will be aiming to continue her good form at the indoor hard-court tournament in the Czech Republic this week.
The 19-year-old will face No 5 seed Kasatkina in the first round with the Russian playing in her first tournament since the US Open.
The winner of the match will face either Seoul champion Ekaterina Alexandrova or Azarenka in the second round with third seed Anett Kontaveit a potential quarter-final opponent.
Iga Swiatek, Paula Badosa, Kontaveit, and Maria Sakkari are the top seeds for the WTA 500-level event.
Raducanu has also confirmed that she will return to the Transylvania Open in Romania from October 10 where she reached the quarter-finals last year.
“I had a really fun time last year in Cluj. The people were amazing and made me feel so, so welcomed,” Raducanu said. “So, I’m really excited and happy to say that I’m coming back again this year.”
Raducanu’s father, Ian, hails from Romania, while the tournament also offers the British No 1 an opportunity to visit her grandmother Niculina.
“Whenever I can, I love to go back to Romania, that’s where my dad came from. I have so many positive and happy memories from there so I am really looking forward to coming back,” she added.
The former US Open champion will then join a star-studded line-up at the Guadalajara Open Akron, the final WTA 1000 event of the season, after being awarded a wild card.
The main-draw will kick off on Monday, October 17.
Raducanu will begin preparations for the 2023 season with an exhibition singles match against Ons Jabeur at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in December.
She had been due to play Belinda Bencic in the 2021 edition of the exhibition, but was forced to withdraw due to contracting Covid-19.
Remaining WTA Tour calendar
October
October 3: Jasmin Open Tunisia 250
October 3: Ostrava Open 500
October 10: San Diego Open 500
October 10: Transylvania Open 250
October 17: Guadalajara Open Akron 1000
October 17: Open Capfinances Rouen Metropole 125
October 24: Abierto Tampico 125
October 31: Dow Tennis Classic 125
October 31: Puerto Vallarta Open 125
November
November 7: LP Open by IND 125
November 15: Argentina Open 125
November 21: Montevideo Open 125
December
December 5: Open P2i Angers Arena Loire 125
December 11: Open BLS de Limoges 125