Emma Raducanu on course for potential third-round meeting with Elena Rybakina in Dubai
Emma Raducanu has been handed a draw that could see her meet Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina in the last 16 at the Dubai Tennis Championships. Raducanu is scheduled to begin her campaign on Monday, February 16 (ET) and will open against a qualifier before a likely showdown with one of the tournament favourites.
Path to a third-round showdown
The draw sets Raducanu on a clear line to a potential third-round clash with the top seed. She faces qualifier Elisabetta Cocciaretto in her opening match and would then meet the winner of Moyuka Uchijima versus 15th seed Karolina Muchova in round two. Rybakina, who has received a first-round bye as one of the event’s top seeds, will make her tournament debut against either Tatjana Maria or Kimberly Birrell.
If both players navigate those early hurdles, the pair would meet in the last 16. For Raducanu this sequence offers an opportunity to build momentum against progressively tougher opposition; for Rybakina, the bye and an initial match against lower-ranked opposition provide a conventional top-seed route into the business end of the event.
Form, fitness and ranking context
Raducanu arrives in Dubai off a mixed run of results and recent fitness concerns. She retired through illness in her first-round match at the Qatar Open against Camila Osorio, following a run to the final in Transylvania that helped lift her back into the top 30. Those fluctuations in form underline how much is at stake this month: Raducanu has relatively few points to defend in February, with 10 from Doha and 65 from Dubai totalling 75 points from the 2025 season.
The limited points to defend present both pressure and opportunity. A deep showing in Dubai would bolster her standing and confidence ahead of the busy spring swing, while another early exit would leave her vulnerable to movement down the rankings as the season progresses. The immediate priority, however, is getting match rhythm and proving her fitness across back-to-back events.
The tournament field has been impacted by notable withdrawals, which alters the overall competitive landscape. Several leading names have received first-round byes, shaping the draw and the match-ups that lie ahead in the early rounds. Those absences and seedings mean a handful of potential high-profile meetings could either be delayed or avoided entirely depending on how the draw unfolds.
What to watch in Dubai
Key variables to monitor include Raducanu’s health and her ability to convert early momentum into sustained, high-quality match play. Her match-up with Cocciaretto presents a familiar test against a gritty baseline player, while a possible second-round meeting with Muchova would represent a significant step up in tactical complexity and variety.
For Rybakina, the main focus will be on returning to top form and managing the pressures that come with top-seed status—particularly in a tournament where the draw can open rapidly. If both players keep their games intact through the opening rounds, the third-round meeting would be one of the more intriguing match-ups of the week, pitting rising British form against a Grand Slam champion who is comfortable on the Dubai hard courts.
Raducanu’s schedule and fitness will determine how deep she can go, but the draw gives her an encouraging route to one of the tournament’s marquee match-ups if she can stay healthy and rediscover the level that took her to a recent final.
