Emma Raducanu 'Proud' Of Beating Sakkari In Dubai And Snapping Four-Match Losing Streak
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Emma Raducanu finally ended her four-match losing streak with a win over Maria Sakkari at the 2025 Dubai Championships, and she was very proud of herself.
Raducanu struggled a bit in recent weeks after having a very decent start to the new season. She lost four consecutive matches, but she was able to end that streak at the WTA 1000 event in Dubai.
In the first round, the 2021 US Open champion beat Sakkari, who she has a good record against. The two met three times in the past, and Raducanu won all of those matches without losing a set.
She beat Sakkari on the way to her first Grand Slam title at the US Open in 2021, and she beat the Greek player also at the Wimbledon Championships last year. Now, Raducanu added another victory over the former WTA World No. 3.
After the match, she spoke about playing Sakkari. Raducanu is aware that she has had plenty of success against the Greek player in the past, but she didn't want to give away any of her secrets about beating Sakkari.
"It's a difficult one; I think in a way, we play quite similar – she's really athletic. I'm not going to give all my tactics away, but it's just a very difficult match every time we play, so I'm happy to have won on these occasions in all big tournaments."
"So, just very happy to get through to this next round. The support has been great tonight. I really like the surface; it's my first time spending a bit of time here and I've really enjoyed it."
Although the score might not suggest it (6-4, 6-2), the match was relatively challenging for Raducanu. She had to fight through some challenging moments, but she did, and she was able to win in two sets.
Also because of that, the 22-year-old British player was proud of how she was able to handle the match against Sakkari.
"I just tried to stay really focused on the point in front of me. I think there were some momentum shifts throughout the match, and when I got broken twice early in the sets, I just regrouped really well and broke back both times."
"I was really pleased with how I fought and competed against Maria; she's a top player, she's been as high as three in the world, so I'm just really proud of my performance."
In the second round of the tournament, Raducanu will have a chance to start her winning streak. Her opponent will be the 14th-seeded Karolina Muchova.
