Emma Raducanu set to play in first qualifying event since US Open win in 2021 after wildcard at WTA Abu Dhabi
By Oli Gent
Published 30/01/2025 at 10:09 GMT
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Emma Raducanu is set to play in her first qualifying event since her remarkable 2021 US Open win, where she became the first ever qualifier to win a Grand Slam title. Raducanu, just 18 at the time, won three qualifying matches in New York, before stringing together seven straight main-draw victories to lift the trophy, beating Leylah Fernandez 6-4 6-3 at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
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Video credit: TNT Sports
Emma Raducanu will play her first qualifying event since she won the 2021 US Open after accepting a wildcard into the Abu Dhabi Open.
The Briton, who was knocked out 6-1 6-0 by Iga Swiatek in the third round of the Australian Open, is looking to build some momentum at the start of the new calendar year, although she was beaten by the unseeded Cristina Bucsa 5-7 7-5 7-5 in the first round of the Singapore Open on Monday, where she was seeded seventh.
Currently world No. 56, Raducanu is without a coach after Nick Cavaday stepped down from his role to "get back to full health".
The Abu Dhabi Open is a WTA 500 event, which has 500 ranking points up for grabs for the winner, and Raducanu will begin her preliminary campaign in the Middle East on Saturday.
Raducanu’s last quallies outing was the start of her stunning run to a maiden major title - just the second of her nascent career - when she reached the final at Flushing Meadows, defeating Leylah Fernandez 6-4 6-3 at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Four years ago in New York, the Briton, who was just 18 when she lifted the title, won three matches in qualifying before stringing together seven straight victories in the main draw to become the first qualifier in history to win a Grand Slam title.
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Her feat was made even more impressive by the fact that she did not drop a set all tournament.
Raducanu told the BBC last year that she was not against playing qualifying rounds, as it meant more time to acclimatise to her surroundings.
"I think playing quallies is not something that I am against," she said.
"If you get through those two rounds you feel you're adjusted to the court. If you're playing a seed, you have a better eye for the ball, a better feel - it's not that I am against it at all."
Raducanu’s compatriot Katie Boulter, who was knocked out in the second round of the Australian Open by Veronika Kudermetova, is in the main draw in Abu Dhabi, which is headlined by 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and Paula Badosa. Boulter is seeded eighth.
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Video credit: SNTV
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