Why Emma Raducanu has a new opponent at the Dubai Tennis Championships
Emma Raducanu heads into the Dubai Tennis Championships looking to return to winning ways, after a disappointing opening-round retirement in Doha.
The Brit was forced to retire early in the third set of her opening match against Camila Osorio, though will hopefully be well-rested for her match in Dubai.
However, Raducanu has been handed an unexpected change of opponent just hours before she takes to court.
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Who was Raducanu meant to face?
Raducanu’s campaign was meant to start against Elisabetta Cocciaretto, who came into Dubai fresh off a career-best run to the quarter-finals of the Doha Open.
Cocciaretto upset Coco Gauff during her run in Doha and continued her momentum in Dubai qualifying, defeating both Donna Vekic and Anastasia Zakharova in three sets to reach the main draw.
However, her Doha exploits — coupled with two lengthy matches in Dubai qualifying — appear to have left the Italian worn out physically, and she has now withdrawn from her match against Raducanu due to a left thigh injury.
Cocciaretto is the latest in a long line of players to withdraw, with seven lucky losers currently set to compete in the main draw as things stand.
Who does Raducanu face now?
Cocciaretto’s withdrawal means that Raducanu has faced a late change of opponent, with the world No 25 now facing Antonia Ruzic in Dubai.
Croatian star Ruzic is one of the seven lucky losers to enter the draw in Dubai, having initially lost to Rebecca Sramkova in the opening round of qualifying at the WTA 1000 event.
The world No 67 was a semi-finalist at the Hobart International back in January, beating Emiliana Arango, Solana Sierra, and Olga Danilovic before a loss to eventual champion Cocciaretto in the semi-final.
However, the 23-year-old has not won a match this year outside of her Hobart run, and is currently on a five-match losing streak, spanning from her Hobart semi-final to her Dubai qualifying loss.
Most notably, the Croatian was beaten in the opening round of the Australian Open by Naomi Osaka — though she did push the Japanese in a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 loss to the former world No 1.
This will be the first meeting between Raducanu and Ruzic.
Has Raducanu been presented with a further opportunity?
With Cocciaretto having been in impressive form this year, Raducanu has arguably been handed a more favourable draw on paper.
And, her draw has potentially opened up further after round one.
Initially, Raducanu was likely to face 15th seed and new Qatar Open champion Karolina Muchova in round two, in a rematch from this tournament twelve months ago.
However, Muchova has now pulled out following her Doha exploits.
Should Raducanu win, she will now face one of Zakharova or Moyuka Uchijima in the second round, before a potential third round versus top seed Elena Rybakina.
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