RADUCANU BEATEN BY LUCKY LOSER

British number one Emma Raducanu has been knocked out of the Dubai Tennis Championships in the first round.

She recovered from a set and a break down against Antonia Ruzic to force a decider but the Croatian prevailed, winning 6-1 5-7 6-2.

Ruzic is ranked 67th in the world and was one of seven lucky losers from qualifying to fill the main draw after several players pulled out through injury, illness or a schedule change.

Raducanu's initial opponent Elisabetta Cocciaretto was ruled out with a thigh problem and Ruzic won the first set in 30 minutes having twice broken Raducanu.

The world number 25 then sought medical attention, just as she did last week at the Qatar Open when she had to retire from her first-round match.

Despite falling 5-3 down after being broken again in the second set, Raducanu fought back to claim two breaks and make it a set apiece.

The Briton won six consecutive games at the end of the second set and start of the third to go 2-0 up in the decider, but Ruzic won the next six to clinch victory.

- Ben Collins

EMMA RADUCANU GIVEN LETTER BY 'STALKER' AT HOTEL DURING TERRIFYING DUBAI ORDEAL

Emma Raducanu was reduced to tears during a match (Image: WTA)

Emma Raducanu broke down in tears and appeared to hide behind the umpire's chair in distressing scenes which took place during her second-round loss against Karolina Muchova in Dubai

The man who caused Emma Raducanu to break down during her Dubai Tennis Championships match had shown 'fixated behaviour' when handing her a letter at her hotel the previous day.

Raducanu, 22, became visibly distressed just two games into Tuesday's second-round defeat to Karolina Muchova. The match was briefly paused as the 2021 US Open champion broke down in tears and went behind the umpire's chair while asking for help.

The Telegraph report that Raducanu is understood to have been approached at her hotel on Monday by a man who handed her a letter. Although the individual's identity remains unknown at this stage, it's thought he isn't a UK national.

The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) said in a statement: "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. Player safety is our top priority, and tournaments are advised on security best practices for international sporting events.

"The WTA is actively working with Emma and her team to ensure her well-being and provide any necessary support. We remain committed to collaborating with tournaments and their security teams worldwide to maintain a safe environment for all players."

The Dubai Tennis Championships added: "We fully support the statement made earlier today by the WTA in regard to an incident involving Emma Raducanu on February 17. The tournament security team worked in collaboration with the WTA security team to proactively identify and immediately eject the individual in question from the stadium during Emma's second-round match on Tuesday."

In 2022, a man who stalked Raducanu while she was still a teenager was given a five-year restraining order. The individual had visited her home in Bromley three times following her remarkable US Open win aged 18.

Following the incident in Dubai, the Lawn Tennis Association reiterated: "This incident once again highlights issues around safety that all players, but female players in particular, can face. We have support available for British players and have been in contact with Emma and her team following the events in Dubai.

"We have extensive security arrangements at our events in Britain and keep these under constant review. The tours have strong processes in place already and we will continue to work together along with police and security providers to deal with situations like this robustly."

Raducanu's team or the 22-year-old herself are yet to comment. She's currently ranked No.61 in the world after several years of dealing with injury setbacks but is Britain's No.2 woman behind Katie Boulter.

- Nathan Ridley

IN-FORM HUMBERT EASES PAST BUBLIK TO CAPTURE

 

Reuters 

Fifth seed Ugo Humbert produced a near-flawless performance to outclass Kazakh Alexander Bublik 6-4 6-3 and capture the Dubai Tennis Championships title on Saturday for his second trophy this season.

By lifting the title, the 25-year-old Frenchman became only the third player in the professional era to win his first six tour-level finals, matching the achievement of Latvia's Ernests Gulbis and Slovakia's Martin Klizan.

"I really don't know, but I have a good statistic," Humbert said about his ability to rise to the occasion in title clashes. "I have a really good team around me."

The in-form Marseille champion edged a tight opening set when seventh seed Bublik fired a double fault in the 10th game as he chanced his arm and attempted a big second serve in a desperate bid to hold.

"It's not easy to play against Bublik," said Humbert, who will climb four places to a career-high world ranking of number 14 when the list is updated on Monday.

"I stayed really calm and really focused. He had some opportunities to break me in the first set but I knew exactly what I had to do."

GAUFF 'FUELLED' BY UMPIRE ROW TO ADVANCE IN DUBAI

Reuters 

 Coco Gauff said a heated exchange with the chair umpire midway through her match with Karolina Pliskova on Wednesday had spurred her on to complete a 2-6 6-4 6-3 victory and reach the quarter-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships.

The U.S. Open champion lost the first set but was leading 4-2 in the second when her first serve at deuce, which Pliskova returned into the net, was called out.

The American challenged the call and her review was successful but instead of awarding Gauff the point French chair umpire Pierre Bacchi told the 19-year-old to replay it.

That sparked a lengthy back-and-forth between the pair, with Guaff's repeated requests to speak to a supervisor denied by the umpire.