Emma Raducanu advanced to the last 16 of the Abu Dhabi Open, defeating world No. 26 Marie Bouzkova 6-4, 6-1.
The 21-year-old has bounced back from a slow start to win 10 of his last 11 games to set up a meeting with tournament second seed Ons Jabeur in the next round. It was another promising performance from Raducanu after beating Shelby Rogers in the first round of the Australian Open last month.
Raducanu’s aggressive tactics surprised 2022 Wimbledon quarterfinalist Bouzkova, who fought back after an early break to win the first set in four consecutive games. She didn’t look back in the second set and continued to build on her dominance to earn another encouraging win.
“I think at first I was just getting used to the speed of the court. I haven’t played on this court this year,” Raducanu said after the game. “It was very fast and much calmer than this week because it was very windy so it was a different pace.
“Mary is a very tough opponent to play against. I knew going into the game I was going to have to hit a lot of shots and I think I missed some late shots at the beginning but I cleaned it up so I’m really happy with that. .”
Raducanu returned to action at the Auckland Open after eight months out following wrist and ankle surgery and held Elina Svitolina to three sets. Her run in Melbourne ended in the second round when she overcame a stomach bug to push China’s Wang Yafan all the way in just three hours of play.
The first meeting with two-time Wimbledon finalist and world No. 6 Jabr will provide another test of Raducanu’s improved form and recovery after his 2023 season was derailed by injury.
