Emma Raducanu dumped out in first round of Abu Dhabi Open as woes continue

Emma Raducanu lost in the first round of the Abu Dhabi Open

Emma Raducanu suffered her third consecutive defeat as she crashed out in the first round of the Abu Dhabi Open. It was a meeting of the Grand Slam champions as the British No. 1 faced 2023 Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova, who is continuing her comeback from injuries. After taking an early lead, the match fell away from Raducanu, and Vondrousova earned an easy 6-3 6-4 victory.

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Raducanu was facing Vondrousova for the third time, having split their previous meetings. It was the world No. 37’s first match since she retired from January’s Adelaide International in tears. Before that, Vondrousova had not competed since Wimbledon, shutting down the rest of her 2024 season due to injuries. Ahead of the tournament, the Czech star said she was finally feeling healthy. Raducanu pounced first, taking an early break lead at 3-1. But Vondrousova immediately got back on serve, making Raducanu work before taking her sixth break point. The former Wimbledon champion continued her assault on Raducanu’s serve, reeling off five games in a row to take the first set 6-3 after trailing by a break.

Emma Raducanu hit 32 unforced errors during the 95-minute match

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It was Vondrousova’s turn to save break points as Raducanu blew four chances early in the second set. The Czech star only earned her first break point of the set in the eighth game, but that was all she needed. Vondrousova pounced and broke to serve for the match. But, with time running out, Raducanu suddenly found something and earned a break to keep herself alive. The world No. 37 proved too strong, however, breaking one final time to seal a straightforward victory and set up a meeting with No. 4 seed Yulia Putintseva. “I mean, it was a tough match. She played some great rallies and it was a battle until the end so I’m very happy and can't wait for my next match,” Vondrousova said. “It’s always great to be back. I’m very grateful to be back playing healthy and I tried to enjoy as much as I can.”

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