Stunning Emma Raducanu returns to winning ways and dominates Maria Sakkari in Dubai opener

Emma Raducanu defeated Maria Sakkari in the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships 6-4, 6-2 and will meet 14th seed Karolina Muchova, a former Roland Garros finalist, in the second round.

It was the third encounter between Raducanu and Sakkari, with the Brit, ranked No. 60 in the world, winning last twoo of the matchups, including the US Open 2021 semifinals, where Sakkari appeared as the favourite to reach her first Grand Slam final. Once again, the Greek could not even win a set.

First Set

Raducanu started in the best possible way, breaking Sakkari in the opening game and quickly taking a 2-0 lead with her serve. The world No. 60's advantage did not last long, as Sakkari managed to break back midway through the set and level it at 3-3 on her second chance. However, the Brit didn’t give up and broke back in the next game. This time, she didn’t give her opponent any chances, and with her serve, she held the lead to close the set 6-4 after 34 minutes.

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Sakkari had an impressive 78% of first serves in, but with little effectiveness, winning just 57% of them and only 17% on second serves. On the other hand, Raducanu was much more balanced, with 73% first serves in, winning 64% of them and 50% on second serves.

Second Set

Once again, the 2021 US Open champion took an early break and was up 2-0, with a break point in her favour while everything seemed to be going her way. However, Sakkari recovered, stepped out of the critical moment, and reduced her errors in the rallies, winning next two games.

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However, that was the last thing Sakkari could show, as she was dominated by her opponent from that point on. Raducanu took control of the match and won the next four games in a row, with little opposition from the former No. 3. The Brit secured the victory 6-4, 6-2 and returned to winning ways after four consecutive losses.

In the second round, Raducanu will face Czech Karolina Muchova (No. 17), with whom she has no previous encounters. The former French Open runner-up comes off a straightforward win against qualifier Suzan Lamens (No. 66).

Match Stats

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