Raducanu wins in Abu Dhabi with Jabeur awaiting the Brit
Emma Raducanu displayed dominance on Monday evening as she beat Marie Bouzková 6-4 6-1 at the WTA Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open.
The Brit was forced to wait to take to the court in the United Arab Emirates given the number of matches before hers against her opponent from Czechia.
But the 21-year-old 2021 US Open winner stayed in the fight in a close opening set to pull away from 4-4 to take the opener 6-4.
Raducanu then blitzed 25-year-old Bouzková in the second set to take the win without a third set decider.
“It was a pretty long wait,” Raducanu said after the win.
“In the beginning I was adjusting to the speed of the court, it was pretty quick and it’s been really windy.
“I knew I would need to play so many balls but I cleaned it up [mistakes after a slow start] and I am happy about that.”
Raducanu will now take on second seed Ons Jabeur in the next round having bagged close to $10,000 for her first round win.
Jabeur is a fan favourite on the WTA Tour and at the Grand Slams with the Tunisian bidding to become the first north African and Arab woman to win one of the four showpiece tennis tournaments of the year.