Emma Raducanu has managed to continue her recent upturn in form and she’s now become part of an exclusive club.The 22-year-old appears to have overcome the injuries that have impacted her game for so long, as she thrives on the hard court.Raducanu had progressed through the first round in CanadaGettyFollowing an impressive run at Wimbledon, which saw her eventually knocked out by World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, Raducanu is now competing in the busy North American hard-court season. The hectic WTA schedule includes six tournaments in seven weeks, with the US Open the climax. This week, the National Bank Open in Montreal has taken centre stage and Raducanu got off to a winning start.She eased past Elena-Gabriela Ruse in straight sets on Monday, winning 6-2, 6-4 to book her spot in the next round. By doing so, she emulated two female British tennis stars. Raducanu claimed her 21st victory in a Tier 1/WTA 1000 main draw match – a tally only two of her compatriots have managed. Former Brit No.1s Johanna Konta and Heather Watson have also won over 20 such matches during their careers. On top of that, Raducanu has returned to British No.1 herself, while achieving something she hasn’t managed since 2022 too.With her win over Ruse, she managed to jump up 13 places in the world rankings to No.33.This is the highest ranking she has had in three years and rewards her for her brilliant performances in recent weeks.Raducanu has joined Konta in an exclusive clubGettyShe has also emulated Watson by moving over 20 WTA 1000 main draw matchesGettyRaducanu was delighted to get the job done and beat Ruse, albeit while feeling a bit guilty for knocking out her friend.“I’m so happy to come through that,” the Brit star said post-match. “I know Elena, she’s a very good friend of mine, and it’s difficult when you have to play someone you’re close to, so I’m really proud of how I put that to one side for the match and backed up a good week last week in DC and performed well today.“It’s extremely difficult [to play someone you know]. We spent a lot of time together in off-court practices, and she’s a great girl. “It’s not nice when you see her name in the draw, but I’m really pleased with how I performed with myself.”Raducanu will next take on American 32nd seed Peyton Stearns in the second round in Montreal on Wednesday. WTA hard-court summer season scheduleJuly 21-27 – Mubadala Citi DC Open (Washington DC)July 27-August 7 – National Bank Open (Montreal)August 7-18 – Cincinnati Open (Cincinnati) August 17-23 – Abierto GNP Seguos (Monterrey)August 18-13 – Tennis in the Land (Cleveland) August 24 – September 7 – US Open (New York)Raducanu is starting to thrive on the hard courts, with her form returningGettyRaducanu’s recent formRaducanu is having a great 2025, playing in 16 tournaments this year already, after only featuring in 13 in the entirety of 2024.She has seemingly shaken off her fitness issues and is now excelling in the hard-court season, with the 2021 US Open champion proven to succeed on the surface.And things got started at the Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington last week, with Raducanu reaching the semi-finals. She achieved a career first by doing so and despite not managing to go all the way, it proved she’s becoming a threat again.On that run to the semi-finals, she beat four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka, seventh seed Marta Kostyuk and Maria Sakkari.Following her win in Montreal, Raducanu has now won four of five hard-court matches and she’ll look to build on that this week.