By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday February 18, 2025
Emma Raducanu briefly broke down in tears during her second-round match with Karolina Muchova in Dubai, the British star stopping play after two games and approaching the umpire before appearing to take comfort out of sight behind the umpire’s chair.
It was a bizarre moment that led to Muchova consoling the 22-year-old World No.61 before play finally resumed.
It wasn’t clear exactly what disturbed Raducanu, but she recovered well by rallying from 4-0 down to force a first-set tiebreak and play a close match against the World No.17.
Muchova edged out the win 7-6(6), 6-4 in two hours and seven minutes.
Below, see footage of Raducanu’s interlude after the second game:
Muchova moves on to face surprising American McCartney Kessler.
Gauff Upset
Kessler continued her dream week in Dubai, notching her first Top-10 win over 2023 US Open champion Coco Gauff, 6-4, 7-5. Earlier this season Kessler, a former standout at the University of Florida, won her second career title at Hobart and made her Top-50 debut.
This week in Dubai she has notched back-to-back Top-20 wins. She toppled Doha champion Amanda Anisimova (ranked No.18), 6-3, 6-2, in the first round.