Ons Jabeur too strong for Emma Raducanu at Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open

ABU DHABI: Tunisian fan favorite Ons Jabeur blasted her way into the last eight of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, presented by Abu Dhabi Sports Council, with a straight-sets victory over Brit Emma Raducanu.

Having been given a bye in the round of 32, as one of the tournament’s four top seeds, Jabeur was in singles action for the first time, and eager to make up for the disappointment of exiting the doubles alongside partner Naomi Osaka last night.

It took Jabeur just one hour and 18 minutes to book her place in the quarterfinals, where she will meet Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia, who beat Magda Linette in the longest WTA main draw match of 2024 earlier in the day.

Having edged an entertaining, and relatively close, opening set, Jabeur stepped it up in the second and simply had too much for Raducanu, the Tunisian going through courtesy of a 6-4, 6-1 victory.

While there will be disappointment for Raducanu, the 21-year-old produced flashes of quality, particularly in the first set, as she continues her comeback following a lengthy spell out injured last year.

In the preceding match, Sorana Cirstea produced a near-flawless display to dispatch world No. 9 Maria Sakkari in straight sets.

Sakkari, a semifinalist at the French Open and US Open in 2021, went into the match as favorite, but Cirstea, a UAE resident, clearly felt at home as she played on the front foot from the start, taking the game to her opponent and forcing her into uncharacteristic mistakes.

Cirstea won the first set in comfortable fashion, and with the response many inside Stadium Court expected from Sakkari failing to materialize, the Romanian blew her opponent away in even more dominant fashion during the second set on her way to a hugely significant 6-2, 6-1 victory.

Kazakhstan’s world No. 5, Elena Rybakina, makes her first appearance of the tournament on Friday when she takes on Danielle Collins, who defeated Naomi Osaka in the round of 32.