Emma Raducanu will play 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in the first round of the Abu Dhabi Open after her wildcard entry was upgraded to the main draw.
The Abu Dhabi Open is live on Sky Sports Tennis and Sky Sports+ from Monday.
Raducanu had initially been due to play in the qualifying rounds of a tournament this weekend for the first time since her triumph at the US Open in 2021, but the 22-year-old was instead moved up to the main draw on Saturday where she was drawn against world No 36 and fellow wildcard Vondrousova.
Raducanu famously beat Vondrousova when an 18-year-old wildcard on her full Wimbledon debut in 2021, two years before the Czech player became the first unseeded player to win the women’s singles at the All England Club.
Vondrousova beat Raducanu in 2022 in the Billie Jean Cup in their only other meeting.
Raducanu, when also on a wildcard, reached last year’s second round at the tournament in Abu Dhabi.
Having bypassed the two-round qualifying games, Raducanu will now feature in her third tournament of the year a week after losing to world No world 101 Cristina Bucsa in the first round of the Singapore Open.
Earlier in the month Raducanu had reached the third round of the Australian Open before a bruising 6-1, 6-0 defeat to world No 2 Iga Swiatek.
The tournament in Abu Dhabi also features defending champion Elena Rybakina, the world No 5, and semi-finalist in Melbourne Paula Badosa. Both have byes to round two, which takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Raducanu could be joined in the main draw by 23-year-old compatriot Sonay Kartal after the British No 3 fought back on Saturday from a set down to beat France’s Chloe Paquet 6-4, 2-6, 3-6 in the first qualifying round.
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Cristina Bucsa reflects on her win against Emma Raducanu at the Singapore Open following a gruelling three-hour match
Kartal, who is ranked 90 in the world and won her maiden WTA title in Tunisia last September, will now play Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima in Sunday’s second qualifier and victory would secure her a place in the full tournament.
But Heather Watson‘s hopes of making the main draw are over after she he lost her first round qualifying match to American Katie Volynets 6-4, 6-3.
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