Emma Raducanu's journey at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Open is over because Ons Jabeur easily beat her in straight sets, which surprised many.
Raducanu and Jabeur had already played in Abu Dhabi before, but that was an exhibition match. It was also much closer than this one because it actually went to three sets. This one didn't, as it was a pretty simple win for Jabeur, who didn't start the year well.
Her Australian Open ended in disaster against Mirra Andreeva, and we haven't really seen her since then. Raducanu hasn't played much better either, but at least got a match at the event before this one.
It didn't matter much because she couldn't challenge the Tunisian, despite previously playing well against Marie Bouzkova. The final score was 6-4 6-1 for Jabeur, which was a rather impressive victory.
The way these courts play certainly fits Raducanu, but she couldn't trouble her opponent much. Jabeur mostly dominated the opening set; it was only much later in the set that Raducanu found some rhythm and pulled one of the breaks back but ultimately didn't have enough to really pull off the comeback.
She did create some decent pressure, especially on the second serve, but she needed to do more. The second set was very bad for Raducanu as she was overwhelmed by an inspired Jabeur, who was now firing on all cylinders.
Abu Dhabi also plays well for her, which she demonstrated in the second set. She smashed the ball really well, and Raducanu couldn't do anything on her serve. On return, it was even worse as she barely won a point.
It wasn't the best performance from Raducanu, but at the same time, Jabeur managed to outplay her opponent, and as a Top 10 player on the WTA Tour, it's great to see her back at this level.
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