Emma Raducanu advanced to the second round of the WTA Transylvania Open with a strong 6-0, 6-4 victory over Greet Minnen. She will next play world No. 97 Kaja Juvan, who defeated Elena Ruxandra Bertea 6-3, 6-4 in her opener. The match is scheduled for February 4, 2026, in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Emma Raducanu, ranked world No. 30, kicked off her Transylvania Open campaign convincingly on Monday, defeating Greet Minnen 6-0, 6-4 in the first round. This win marked Raducanu's return to form following a second-round exit at the Australian Open and her recent coaching split from Francisco Roig. The 23-year-old British player, a former US Open champion, now faces Slovenian Kaja Juvan in the Round of 16 on indoor hard courts at BTarena.
Kaja Juvan, currently No. 97 in the WTA rankings, reached a career-high of No. 58 in June 2022 after reaching her only WTA final in Strasbourg, where she lost to Angelique Kerber. The 25-year-old has shown promise in Grand Slams, including third-round appearances at the 2021 Australian Open, 2021 and 2022 Wimbledon, and 2023 US Open. As a junior, Juvan won gold in girls' singles and doubles—partnering Iga Swiatek—at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games.
Juvan's career has faced challenges, including a two-month absence in 2023 after her father Robert's death from cancer in late 2022, and missing most of 2024 due to a functional neurological disorder, dropping her ranking to No. 599 by year's end. She rebuilt steadily in 2025, finishing runner-up to Naomi Osaka at the WTA 125 in Saint-Malo, winning titles in Ljubljana and Samsun, and claiming the ITF Internazionali di Brescia. In 2026, Juvan lost early in Hobart and to Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open first round but started strong in Cluj with her 6-3, 6-4 win over local wildcard Bertea.
This will be the first meeting between Raducanu and Juvan, with the winner advancing to face either qualifier Maja Chwalinska or seventh seed Olga Danilovic in the quarterfinals. Betting odds favor Raducanu at -315, with predictions pointing to a straight-sets victory based on her baseline style suiting the matchup.
