Fresh off ending a four-match losing sequence, Emma Raducanu seeks consecutive wins when she takes on the returning Karolina Muchova in Tuesday's Dubai Tennis Championships second-round match.
The 14th seed beat qualifier Suzan Lamens on her return after missing last week's Qatar Open due to a leg injury, and the 2023 quarter-finalist bids for a third-round berth by getting the better of her British opponent, who beat Maria Sakkari on her Dubai debut.
Match preview
After a month-long run of defeats across several tournaments, Raducanu notched a 6-4, 6-2 success over Sakkari in Sunday's round-one match to secure her first win since beating Amanda Anisimova at the Australian Open.
That success over the American was the British player's fifth on the trot, with two coming Down Under against Ekaterina Alexandrova and Anisimova, but the 22-year-old suffered a quartet of early defeats to Cristina Bucsa in Singapore, Marketa Vondrousova in Abu Dhabi and Alexandrova in Doha to follow her exit to Iga Swiatek in Australia.
Conceding fewer break point chances on her serve against Sakkari was pivotal to Sunday's success, with the Greek player successful from two of four chances engineered on the Brit's serve.
In her previous matches this season, Raducanu conceded 14 break points in wins over Alexandrova in round one in Australia and 13 against Anisimova in round two; the Brit's ropey serve was also evident in losses to Swiatek, who created 12 break chances, Bucsa (17), Vondrousova (12) and eight in last week's loss to Alexandrova in Doha.
An almost perfect showing on serve saw the 2021 US Open champion improve to 3-0 against Sakkari, and seeks more of the same against Muchova.
The Czech player showed no rustiness in dispatching qualifier Lamens 6-2, 6-2 in one hour and 12 minutes to avoid an early exit and set up a maiden match-up with Raducanu on the WTA Tour.
Having missed the opening WTA 1000 event of 2025 last week due to a leg injury, a deep run for the 28-year-old in Dubai could depend on avoiding a relapse of the issue in Abu Dhabi.
Defeating Lamens in round one continued Muchova's run of not losing at the event since 2020 when Katerina Siniakova beat her in three sets in the round of 32 five years back.
Since that defeat, the 28-year-old has secured victories over Bernarda Pera, Sorana Cirstea and Belinda Bencic two years ago before being forced to withdraw before facing Jessica Pegula in the last eight.
Back this year, Muchova has continued her run of victories by defeating Lamens in her tournament-opening triumph and aims to improve to 5-0 at the WTA 1000 event with success against Raducanu.
Tournament so far
Emma Raducanu:
First round: vs. Maria Sakkari 6-4 6-2
Karolina Muchova:
First round: vs. Suzan Lamens 6-2 6-2
Head To Head
Both women face off on tour for the first time, with the winner taking a 1-0 lead in their head-to-head and progressing to the third round.
Raducanu halting a three-match losing run sees the British player enter Tuesday's match at 3-4 for the season.
Muchova is 6-4 in 2025, with the semi-final elimination to Alexandrova in Linz the Czech woman's only loss in her last five matches on the tour, having fallen to defeats in three of the opening six this season.
We say: Muchova to win in two sets
If Muchova avoids a repeat of the leg injury that forced her to withdraw from the Qatar Open or any physical issue against Raducanu, the Czech player's expertise at the tournament and on-court variety should be too much for the one-time Grand Slam champion, thus setting up a round-three match with Coco Gauff or McCartney Kessler.
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