Post by : Bianca
Haleem
Emma Raducanu suffered a shock first-round exit at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships after losing to Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic in three sets on Monday night.
Raducanu was originally scheduled to face Elisabetta Cocciaretto, but the Italian withdrew with an injury just hours before the match. Ruzic entered the main draw as a “lucky loser” after being knocked out in the qualifiers.
Ruzic made an aggressive start and quickly raced into a 3-0 lead. Raducanu managed to win one game to make it 3-1, but that was her final game of the opening set. The Croatian stayed in control and comfortably took the first set.
Raducanu looked short of rhythm and was checked by doctors at the end of the first set, raising concerns among fans. She was allowed to continue and showed strong determination in the second set.
The Brit fought back in a tight battle and broke Ruzic’s serve late in the set. Raducanu then won the second set 7-5 to level the match and take it into a deciding third set.
Raducanu started the final set strongly and went 2-0 up, appearing to have the momentum. However, Ruzic responded immediately, pulled back to 2-2, and then broke Raducanu’s serve to go 3-2 ahead.
Ruzic continued to grow in confidence and produced high-quality tennis, even earning applause from the crowd. She moved ahead 4-2, broke Raducanu’s serve again, and ended the match with a dominant finish, winning the final set 6-2.
After the match, Ruzic said she was delighted to make the most of her unexpected opportunity. She also revealed she stayed calm despite remembering her recent qualifier loss where she had been leading 5-2 in the final set.
With this result, Raducanu exits the tournament in the opening round, while Ruzic advances after one of the biggest surprises of the event.
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