Emma Raducanu suffers first-round loss at the Abu Dhabi Open

Emma Raducanu endured another early frustrating tournament defeat at the Abu Dhabi Open, losing 6-3, 6-4 to fellow wildcard entrant Marketa Vondrousova. 

Raducanu, who struggled with a neck injury during the match, began strong against the 2023 Wimbledon champion, taking a 3-1 lead. 

The second set was more challenging, with Raducanu battling to stay in control through the first six games, levelling at 3-3. However, in a crucial game where Raducanu pushed her opponent to multiple deuces, Vondrousova managed to hold her serve and gain a 4-3 lead.

Raducanu then dropped four consecutive points on her serve, allowing her opponent to have her pivotal moment. However, Raducanu had the chance to break back and keep the match alive. 

Vondrousova secured three match points on Raducanu’s next serving game, securing the third to win the match. 

Raducanu: From wildcard to main draw 

Emma Raducanu’s qualifying wildcard entry for the Abu Dhabi Open was upgraded to a main draw entry just one day before the draw. She was originally set to play in the qualifiers for the first time since 2021, but she  skipped the line and moved forward. 

The young athlete made history at the 2021 US Open by winning the title without losing a single set. Since that groundbreaking win, she has not participated in a qualifier for any event. 

According to journalist James Gray, the upgrade was due to “some movement in the entry lists”.

Gray explained: “Had a useful clarification on this for fans of entry list chess… Ashlyn Krueger got in on her ranking after withdrawals, so didn’t need a wildcard after all. As such, one was freed up, and offered to Emma Raducanu instead.”

Emma Raducanu’s Abu Dhabi wildcard has been upgraded from qualifying to main draw after some movement in the entry lists.

She will learn her first-round opponent later today.

— James Gray (@jamesgraysport) February 1, 2025

This sudden change sparked controversy in the tennis community online. A netizen wrote on X: “Not Emma Raducanu skipping qualifying and getting upgraded to main draw wild card at Abu Dhabi…Somebody pulled a few strings” 

Not Emma Raducanu skipping qualifying and getting upgraded to main draw wild card at Abu Dhabi 🤣

Somebody pulled a few strings

Where are those people gone who were arguing with me that she turned down the main draw wildcard?

— Emma j’adore no more 🇨🇦 (@EmmaRaducant) January 31, 2025