Emma Raducanu to face Marie Bouzkova in Abu Dhabi Open first round

2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu will face the Czech Republic's Marie Buzkova in the first round of the Abu Dhabi Open 2024. The winner of that match will take on number two seed Onze Jabour in the second round. The WTA 500 tournament, which is played on the outdoor hard courts at the Zade Sports City International Center, begins on Monday, February 5. It will take Raducanu time to find her level, but there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic, especially if she sticks with new coach Nick Cavaday for a sustained period. Raducanu was pleased with how she fared in her first month back on tour, saying that, I'm very positive, very happy with how my body is. She is ranked at number 295 in the world, and not even her protected ranking, which is given to players who are out of action for an extended period of number 103 is not enough to get into the draw at most top tournaments. Marie Buzkova is a Czech professional tennis player. She attained her career high WTA singles ranking of number 24 on the 12th of December 2022. In May 2022, she peaked at number 24 in the WTA doubles rankings. Up to date, she has won one singles title and five doubles titles on the WTA tour. World No. 5 Eleanor Rybakina and No. 6 Onze Jabour topped the draw, followed by No. 9 Maria Sakkari, and No. 11 Barbara Krejcikova. Former No. 1 Osaka was drawn into Rybakina's top half of the draw, and could play the 2022 Wimbledon champion in the second round. Osaka, who went 1-2 in her comeback in Australia, will open her tournament against a qualifier. Coming off her resurgent, quarterfinal result in Melbourne, No. 4 seed Krejcikova was drawn into the top half of the draw.