Emma Raducanu says she will always do things “a little differently” as she prepares for only her second US Open match since winning the title as a teenage qualifier in 2021.

The 21-year-old will face American Grand Slam champion Sofia Kenin in the first round on Tuesday, while sixth-seeded Jessica Pegula could play the winner in the second round.

Raducanu reached the fourth round of Wimbledon in July, but having opted to miss the Olympics, she has played in only one tournament in the six weeks since.

“I really wanted to play in Toronto, especially because I was born there, but the time was too short to qualify,” she told BBC Sport.

“I was supposed to play on Sunday and I finished (in Washington) late Friday night. It was too difficult for me to fly there and adapt.

“Otherwise I always do things just a little bit differently.”

Raducanu reached the quarterfinals in Washington, where she lost to eventual champion Paula Badosa.

With a trip to Toronto ruled out, Cincinnati was the next chance to continue her summer streak, which has seen her win 10 times in the last four tournaments.

But a wildcard was not forthcoming and the world number 71 decided not to risk the qualifications.

She says she is not averse to playing at that level, although she has not done so since her victory in New York three years ago.

“I don’t think I’m against playing qualifying matches because when you get through those two rounds you feel like you’re used to the court,” she said.

“When you play against a seeded player, you have a better eye for the ball and a better feel for the ball. It’s not that I’m completely against it.

“It was just that I really only had to wait for one tournament in the qualifiers and then have a week off before the US Open. So I think it was a better decision that we all made to just go back and work on things there.”

Raducanu’s ranking may soon be high enough to take qualifying out of the equation. And if she stays injury-free, expect her to play a good run of tournaments in Asia in the fall.

If she needs them, wildcards are easy to come by in China thanks to her background. And with her fluent Mandarin and the ease she finds in her surroundings, this is a good chance to end the season strongly.