Tennis: Raducanu Takes Dubai Wildcard

Emma Raducanu has taken a wildcard into the Dubai Tennis Championships main draw, where she will seek to end the worst losing run of her career.

The 22-year-old Briton lost a fourth consecutive match for the first time when she was beaten in straight sets by Ekaterina Alexandrova at the Qatar Open last week.

The 2021 US Open champion will be joined by mentor Jane O’Donoghue and fitness trainer Yutaka Nakamura, as she was for that WTA 1000 event in Doha.

Raducanu accepted wildcard entries into the main draw of the Abu Dhabi Open and Qatar Open in February but lost in the first round on both occasions.

Defeat by Alexandrova followed a straight-set loss to former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in Abu Dhabi.

The world number 60 lost to Spain’s Cristina Bucsa in the opening round of the Singapore Open in January, after winning just one game in her Australian Open defeat by Iga Swiatek that marked the start of her winless streak.

As the Dubai tournament is a WTA 1000 event, Raducanu faces the prospect of another tough draw with the world’s top 10 players all scheduled to play.

The draw takes place on Saturday, before the main draw begins on Sunday.