Britannia’s Emma Raducanu ended her losing streak by defeating Greece’s Maria Sakkari in the first round of the Dubai Tennis Championships. The 22-year-old entered the tournament having lost her previous four matches – the worst streak of her career – but needed just one hour and 20 minutes to beat the world number 29 6-4 6-2, reported by BBC.
Raducanu to face Karolina Muchova
The 2021 US Open champion has not won since beating American Amanda Anisimova in the second round of the Australian Open on January 16. The second-seeded Briton broke serve in the first game of both sets and on two occasions she lost her own serve and immediately broke in the next game.
“There were some momentum shifts throughout the match and when I got broken twice early in the sets I regrouped really well and managed to break both times,” said Raducanu. “I was really happy with the way I fought and competed with Maria. She is the best player and ranked third in the world. I am really proud of my game.” Raducanu will play Karolina Muchova in the second round after the 14th seeded Czech beat Dutchwoman Suzanne Lamens 6-2 6-2.
Raducanu takes Dubai wildcard
The 22-year-old Briton lost her fourth straight match for the first time when Kateryna Alexandrova beat her in straight sets at the Qatar Open last week. The 2021 US Open champion is joined by kbcz mentor Jane O’Donoghue and fitness trainer Yutaka Nakamura as she heads to the WTA 1000 tournament in Doha. Raducanu received wildcards into the main draw of the Abu Dhabi Open and Qatar Open in February, but lost in the first round both times. Alexandrova’s defeat came after a straight-sets defeat to former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in Abu Dhabi.