Emma Raducanu gets surprise boost with direct entry into Abu Dhabi Open

The world No 56 was initially set to play in a qualifying event for the first time since her astonishing title run at the 2021 US Open when she became the first-ever qualifier to win a Grand Slam as she won 10 matches in a row in New York without dropping a set.

Raducanu had accepted a qualifying wildcard for the WTA 500 event in Doha as her ranking was not high enough for direct entry into the main draw.

But just hours before her first-round opponent was due to be revealed, organisers confirmed that her qualifying wildcard has been upgraded to a main draw wildcard.

She joins 2020 Olympic champion and former Doha champion Belinda Bencic, 2023 Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova, former world No 4 Caroline Garcia and rising American star Ashlyn Krueger on the list of players to receive wildcards.

The Abu Dhabi Open is the 22-year-old second tournament since her third-round exit from the Australian Open. Last week she competed in the Singapore Tennis Open, but suffered a disappointing first-round 5-7, 7-5, 7-5 defeat to Cristina Bucsa.

That was her first event since it was confirmed that Nick Cavaday had stepped down as her coach due to health issues.

Despite the disappointment of losing early, Raducanu saw her glass as half full after the match stating: "I have the positives [from] this week, coming here on my own with Yutaka [Nakamura, fitness coach] and my mum, but I'm really proud of how I dealt and handled myself this week.

"I feel okay. I feel like I have certain things we all manage as the year goes on. I think it's pretty early in the season.

"For me to be playing this kind of match, all I need is time on court and a match-competitive situation, which I got. I got it in abundance - over three hours of it - so, for me, it's really valuable because every match I play, I feel like it's a win.

"And I fought really hard. I gave everything. So I just got to keep building and moving on."

Raducanu was also handed a wildcard for the 2024 Abu Dhabi Open, but lost in the second round against Ons Jabeur.

The 2025 event also features defending champion and top seed Elena Rybakina, world No 10 Paula Badosa, Jabeur and Daria Kasatkina.

The Doha tournament is followed by two WTA 1000 events - the Qatar Open and Abu Dhabi Tennis Championships - but Raducanu will once again either have to come through qualifying or hope for a wildcard as her ranking is still not good enough for a direct entry.

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