Emma Raducanu’s journey at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships has taken yet another dramatic turn, as a flurry of last-minute withdrawals and a reshuffled draw have given the British star a fresh opportunity to regain her momentum on the WTA Tour. Just days after retiring from her opening match at the Qatar Open due to health concerns, Raducanu prepares to step onto the Dubai courts with renewed hope, albeit against an unexpected opponent.
Originally, Raducanu was slated to face Italy’s in-form Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the first round—a matchup that looked daunting on paper. Cocciaretto has been on a tear in 2026, boasting a 14-4 record and a title from the WTA 250 event in Hobart. She had just stunned Coco Gauff to reach the quarter-finals in Doha, before making a quick turnaround to Dubai and fighting through qualifying. However, Cocciaretto’s packed schedule caught up with her, and she withdrew from the Dubai main draw mere hours before the scheduled clash, citing a thigh injury. This sudden development threw the tournament’s order into chaos and left Raducanu awaiting news of her new opponent.
The lucky loser to take Cocciaretto’s place is Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic, currently ranked 67th in the world. Ruzic’s recent form has been less than stellar—she’s lost her last five matches, with her most recent win coming at the Hobart International back in January. She had fallen to Rebecca Sramkova in the qualifying rounds, but the rash of withdrawals in Dubai propelled her into the main draw. For Raducanu, this change could hardly be more significant. Instead of facing a red-hot player, she now meets an opponent struggling for wins and confidence.
But that’s not the only twist in Raducanu’s Dubai campaign. Karolina Muchova, who won her maiden WTA 1000 title in Doha just days ago, was expected to be a formidable second-round obstacle. Muchova, the only player to have beaten Raducanu at the Dubai event (in straight sets in 2025), withdrew from Dubai due to a ‘change of schedule’ and fatigue after her triumph in Qatar. This withdrawal opens up Raducanu’s section of the draw even further, offering a clearer path to the third round—potentially against top seed Elena Rybakina.
Raducanu’s recent run has been a rollercoaster. She reached her first final since her stunning 2021 US Open victory at the Transylvania Open just over a week ago, dispatching Greet Minnen, Kaja Juvan, Maja Chwalinska, and Oleksandra Oliynykova before falling to Sorana Cirstea in a one-sided final. The Brit was visibly hampered by illness during the match, later revealing to BBC Sport, “I’ve already been battling a bit of a chest infection, but that [semi-final] match took it out of me extra. So today, I was pretty gassed from the start. But I would much rather have this situation than have lost that match and not played today and be a part of the final. So for me, zero complaints.”
That illness appeared to linger as Raducanu entered the Qatar Open. She won the first set against Camila Osorio but began to struggle physically, calling for the trainer to check her blood pressure early in the third set before retiring from the match. With only six days to recover ahead of Dubai, questions lingered about her readiness. “Today I didn’t feel so good on the court, so that was a little bit disappointing for my first final after so long,” Raducanu said after her loss to Cirstea. “But I also have to say, Sorana played an incredible match from the start and put so much pressure on me.”
Despite these setbacks, Raducanu has climbed back to world number 25, her highest ranking since 2022. She enters Dubai with a 1-1 record at the event, having made her debut last year with a win over Maria Sakkari before losing to Muchova in the second round. This year, with both Cocciaretto and Muchova out of her section, the path to the third round—and a shot at the top seed—looks more manageable, though nothing is guaranteed in the unpredictable world of women’s tennis.
The Dubai tournament itself has been rocked by a cascade of withdrawals, not just from Cocciaretto and Muchova, but also from top stars Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek. Sabalenka hasn’t played since her loss in the Australian Open final, while Swiatek cited a need to work on her game after a disappointing Doha quarter-final exit. Tournament director Salah Tahlak voiced his frustration to The National, stating, “It was an unfortunate surprise to get news of the withdrawal of Aryna and Iga. And the reasons for withdrawal were a bit strange. Iga said she wasn’t mentally ready to compete, while Sabalenka said she has some minor injuries.”
Raducanu’s first-round match against Ruzic is scheduled as the fourth match on Court 2 on Monday, February 16, with play expected to begin no earlier than 11:10 am UK time. The winner will face either qualifier Moyuka Uchijima or Anastasia Zakharova in the second round, with Rybakina likely looming in the third. Should Raducanu reach the third round, she stands to gain 55 valuable ranking points, keeping her in the hunt for a top 20 spot.
This will be the first ever meeting between Raducanu and Ruzic on the WTA Tour. For Raducanu, the match represents a chance to put her recent physical struggles behind her and build on the momentum from her Transylvania Open run. For Ruzic, it’s a golden opportunity to snap her losing streak and make a statement on one of tennis’s biggest stages.
Off the court, Raducanu’s memories of Dubai are mixed. Last year’s event saw her shaken by a disturbing incident involving a fixated spectator during her match against Muchova. The individual was removed and subsequently banned from all WTA events. The WTA later clarified, “On Monday, February 17, Emma Raducanu was approached in a public area by a man who exhibited fixated behaviour. This same individual was identified in the first few rows during Emma’s match on Tuesday at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and subsequently ejected. He will be banned from all WTA events pending a threat assessment.”
As action gets underway on the second day of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, all eyes are on Raducanu. Can she capitalize on a suddenly favorable draw and shake off the rust from her recent health setbacks? Or will Ruzic seize her unexpected chance and spring an upset? The answers will unfold as the drama continues in Dubai, with the tennis world watching every twist and turn.