By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Sunday, February 16, 2025
Wild card Emma Raducanu swept Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-2 to snap a three-match losing slide in Dubai.
Photo credit: Rob Newell/CameraSport
Recent first-round failings stalled Emma Raducanu this season.
Today, Raducanu relied on a fast first step to snap a three-match losing streak in Dubai.
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Playing clean combinations, Raducanu swept Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-2 to charge into the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships second round.
It was Raducanu’s first win since she scored a 6-3, 7-5 in over Amanda Anisimova in the Australian Open second round last month.
Sakkari and Raducanu are exceptional movers, both at their best playing off the front foot.
In this match up, Raducanu’s forehand crosscourt drive—combined with the fact she’s more accurate changing direction with her forehand—helped her master Sakkari for the third time in as many meetings following straight-sets wins at the 2024 Wimbledon and 201 US Open semifinals.
Today, Sakkari hit 10 more winners—26 to 16—but Raducanu committed just 12 unforced errors, while the Greek gave up 32 unforced errors in 18 games.
“I just tried to stay focused on what was in front of me,” Raducanu said. “There was some momentum shared throughout the match and I think when I was broken in the first set, I regrouped really well to break back and was really pleased with how I performed.”
Though Sakkari broke back in the fourth game, ambition got the best of the Greek in the next game. A double fault and a narrow miss from Sakkari gave back the break to Raducanu and a 3-2 second-set lead.
Pouncing on a mid-court ball, Raducanu rapped a deep drive drawing a netted response to break again for 5-2.
Playing perhaps her most relaxed match of the season, Raducanu on 15 of the last 21 points, frequently probing Sakkari’s sometimes flaky forehand wing.
Wild card Raducanu ripped an ace to seal a 6-4, 6-2 win in 89 minutes.
It’s a deeply demanding draw in Dubai, as expected in a WTA 1000 event, so Raducanu’s road to back-to-back wins is daunting. Next up for Raducanu is former French Open finalist Karolina Muchova.
The 14th-seeded Muchova dismantled Suzan Lamens 6-2, 6-2. Muchova hit nine aces and won 22 of 29 first-serve points in a 72-minute victory.
It will be the first meeting between world No. 60 Raducanu and Muchova.
It was a good day for wild cards.
The 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin did not face a break point defeating 18th-seeded Donna Vekic 7-5, 6-3.
Wild card Kenin awaits the winner of doubles world No. 1 Katerina Siniakova and Marta Kostyuk in the round of 32.
The 2017 and 2018 Dubai champion Elina Svitolina swept aside 2024 Dubai finalist Anna Kalinskaya 6-1, 6-2 in 66 minutes. Svitolina converted six of seven break points scoring her 75th career win over a Top 20 players.
World No. 22 Svitolina will face either big-serving Clara Tauson or Rebecca Sramkova for a spot in the round of 16.