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Emma Raducanu's qualifying wildcard at the Abu Dhabi Open was upgraded to main draw entry just a day before the draw. The Brit was set to play qualifiers at an event for the first time since 2021 but she has now skipped the queue.
Raducanu made history at the 2021 US Open, where she won the title after coming through the qualifiers without dropping a set. Since then, however, the young Brit has not competed in a qualifier for any event. At the Abu Dhabi Open, she was set to break that streak after receiving a wildcard for the qualifying rounds.
However, recently, it was revealed that Raducanu's wildcard for the Abu Dhabi Open had been upgraded. Journalist James Gray explained that the upgrade occurred "after some movement in the entry lists."
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When asked for more details by an X account, Gray mentioned that Raducanu couldn’t receive direct entry, despite player withdrawals, as she missed the entry deadline.
The X account later shared a screenshot of an Instagram conversation, where the Abu Dhabi Open's official account suggested that the "withdrawal" of certain players led to Raducanu's upgrade. However, Gray remained skeptical, writing:
"Can't just change tour rules on a whim. Looks like a swap with Wakana Sonobe, who was due to play main draw as WC but ended up playing qualis."
An X account shared their frustration at the sudden upgrade for the 22-year-old claiming that somebody "pulled a few strings" for it to happen. They wrote:
"Not Emma Raducanu skipping qualifying and getting upgraded to main draw wild card at Abu Dhabi. Somebody pulled a few strings... Where are those people gone who were arguing with me that she turned down the main draw wildcard?"
One X account called it the "most shambolic" situation, writing:
"Most shambolic situation I have ever seen. There was an announcement that Wakabe Sonobe had a wildcard. One version is that it was a main draw wildcard that got downgraded to a qualifying wildcard, with the reverse happening to Emma."
Emma Raducanu has previously faced criticism for not participating in the qualifier process when required. This was expected to change at the WTA 500 event in Abu Dhabi, but her surprise main draw entry has raised questions once again.
Emma Raducanu to face Marketa Vondrousova in the Abu Dhabi Open 1R
Two Grand Slam champions are set to face off in the first round of the 2025 Abu Dhabi Open. 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu will take on 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova.
The pair have faced off twice before on tour and their head-to-head record is tied at 1-1. Raducanu won their first match played in 2021 at Wimbledon while Vondrousova exacted revenge a year later during the BJK Cup qualifiers.
As for the Brit's 2025 season, she played at the Australian Open and faced a humiliating loss against Iga Swiatek in the third round. Later, she was ousted in the first round of the Singapore Open.
