Ruzic Shocks Raducanu in Dubai
Lucky loser Ella Ruzic defeated Emma Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, in a major upset at the Dubai tournament. The qualifier has grabbed the spotlight and shaken up the tournament draw with her surprise victory over the former Grand Slam winner.
- The victory marks the first career top-30 win for Croatia's Antonia Ruzic, who is ranked 67th in the world. - Ruzic was a "lucky loser" in the tournament, gaining entry into the main draw despite losing in the first round of qualifying, due to the withdrawal of several other players. - The final score of the match was 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 in favor of Ruzic, with the match lasting two hours and 20 minutes. - For Emma Raducanu, this follows a recent pattern of physical struggles; she retired from her first-round match at the Qatar Open the previous week due to illness and sought medical attention during this match. - Raducanu's original opponent was scheduled to be Elisabetta Cocciaretto, who also withdrew due to injury, leading to the last-minute matchup against Ruzic. - This was the first professional meeting between the 23-year-old Ruzic and Raducanu. - With the win, Ruzic advanced to the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships to face Anastasia Zakharova.
