Emma Raducanu will face Ons Jabeur in Abu Dhabi for the second time in her career, but this time around, it won't be an exhibition but rather a WTA Tour match at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Open.
The chance to take on Jabeur again on these courts comes after she put together a really impressive showing against Marie Bouzkova to win her first-round match. Raducanu traveled to the Middle East in hopes of scoring some big wins as she worked her way from injuries.
It's been an interesting return for the Brit so far as she showed glimpses of a high level of skill but clearly lacks the stamina as she hasn't played all that much. The goal in Abu Dhabi is to do just that, and she has made a great start towards that.
The start of the match was a bit stressful as Raducanu struggled to find consistency from the baseline. Bouzkova was giving her a lot of trouble as well, but the Brit stayed competitive and hung on.
We saw six breaks in the first seven games of the match, but once Raducanu settled in, the Brit took over. It was always going to be a really good matchup for her because her devastating play from the baseline counters Bouzkova's defensive tendencies well.
The court in Abu Dhabi also allowed her to play aggressively, and once she found her rhythm, there were not many ways that the Czech player could counter her. She went 10-1 in games from 2-4 in the first set to completely turn the match in her favor and was able to finish things off without complications.
The final score was 6-4 6-1 for the Brit, who will face Ons Jabeur in the next round. This was her best win this year so far, and she has a chance to follow it up with another great one. Jabeur won the exhibition match they played on these courts.
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