Emma Raducanu beaten in first match since coaching reunion as serving troubles persist

Ewan West
Emma Raducanu reacts during a match
Emma Raducanu reacts during a match

Emma Raducanu suffered her third consecutive defeat as she fell in straight sets to Marketa Vondrousova in the opening round of the 2025 Abu Dhabi Open.

The world No 56 was beaten 6-3, 6-4 by 2023 Wimbledon champion and fellow wildcard Voundrousova at the WTA 500 tournament.

Raducanu made an encouraging start to take a 3-1 lead, but she was broken in her next three service games as Voundrousova won five straight games to take the opening set.

The 22-year-old was unable to convert the four break points she fashioned across Vondrosuova’s first two service games in the second set.

The 2021 US Open winner broke straight back after losing serve to fall 5-3 behind, only for the 25-year-old Czech to break her again to win the match.

Vondrousova, a former world No 6 currently ranked 37th, was playing only her third match since Wimbledon last year after multiple injury setbacks.

Raducanu’s issues on serve were a continuation of a theme present in her matches at the Australian Open and her opening round defeat at last week’s Singapore Open.

WTA Tennis News

Emma Raducanu warned ‘everyone will go nuts’ if she makes the wrong decision

The 9 longest WTA Tour matches so far in 2025: Cristina Bucsa and Emma Raducanu sneak in

The Brit was broken in five of her 10 service games and won only 59% of points on her first serve.

More encouragingly, Raducanu’s second serve numbers were an improvement on her previous four matches this year as she won 52% of points on her second serve and double faulted just twice.

In her three-set loss to Cristina Bucsa in Singapore, Raducanu lost serve nine times, won only 24% of second serve points and double faulted five times in the third set.

Raducanu received a main draw wildcard to compete in Abu Dhabi after initially accepting a wildcard into qualifying. The Brit took the place of Ashlyn Krueger, who withdrew after initially being awarded the wildcard.

After Raducanu’s former coach Nick Cavaday stepped down following the Australian Open, she linked up with Croatian Roman Kelecic in Abu Dhabi.

Raducanu was previously coached by Kelecic from the age of 14 to 16 during her junior days.

The former world No 10 explained before the tournament that she would not be rushing into finding a full-time replacement for Cavaday.

“I think that’s why I haven’t necessarily jumped into something straight away, because I want to make sure it’s a right fit,” she told The National.

“And I think this period where I don’t necessarily have someone is going to tell me a lot. It’s going to teach me a lot, what I want, what I don’t want to look for in the next person.

“So I think I’m using this time period to just figure out what I really value. I’m not too sure yet right now. I haven’t come to any plans or decisions. So yeah, I’m just taking it, using the next couple weeks to see how I feel, and then make a decision.”

READ NEXT: Emma Raducanu’s latest coach backed ‘superstar’ after stunning US Open win