Emma Raducanu has had a remarkable start at the Abu Dhabi Open, as the British player eliminated world No. 36 Marie Bouzkova to safely advance to the round-of-16. Raducanu, who was given a special invitation to participate in the Abu Dhabi Open, impressively lost only a few games on her way to defeating former world No. 24 Bouzkova 6-4 6-1. Raducanu, aged 21, and Bouzkova, aged 25, faced each other for the first time.
By defeating Bouzkova, Raducanu has set up a round-of-16 match against three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur. Jabeur, seeded at No. 2, had a bye in the first round of the Abu Dhabi Open and will begin her run in the round-of-16 by facing Raducanu at the main level for the first time.
After Bouzkova won the opening game of the match, the next six games all resulted in breaks of serve. Raducanu, who experienced being broken three times and breaking back three times, finally held her own serve in the eighth game to tie the first set at four games each. In the ninth game, Raducanu secured her fourth consecutive break to take a 5-4 lead, and then served out the set in the following game.
Although Bouzkova managed to save a break point and take a 1-0 lead in the second set after failing to convert her opportunities in the first set, Raducanu dominated the rest of the match by winning the next six games and sealing her victory in two sets in an extremely impressive manner.
Now, Raducanu faces a challenging task as she takes on world No. 6 Jabeur, who will undoubtedly be a tough opponent to beat.
Interestingly, Raducanu and Jabeur are meeting in Abu Dhabi for the second time. However, this will be their first encounter at the main level, as their previous meeting in Abu Dhabi in 2022 was an exhibition match held during the offseason, which Jabeur won.
Raducanu’s performance against Bouzkova has surely boosted her confidence, and it is clear that she is determined to defeat Jabeur and secure her first top-10 win of the year.