Emma Raducanu to Lock Horns With Belinda Bencic in Abu Dhabi Before Australian Open 2022

It was a shock for fans when US Open 2021 winner Emma Raducanu lost her very first match at the Indian Wells 2021. Facing Belarus’ Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the Round of 64, the British player lost the match in straight sets. The final scoreline of the match was 2-6, 4-6.

Raducanu came into the tournament with a lot of expectations after her US Open triumph. The youngster, unfortunately, exited early from the desert. Her response after the loss was commendable as she focused on getting the positives out of her experience there.

Emma Raducanu will be crossing paths with Belinda Bencic soon

There is some great news coming in for Raducanu fans. The rising star will face Tokyo Olympic 2020 Gold medalist, Belinda Bencic on December 16, 2021, at Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2021 in Abu Dhabi. Interestingly, the match will be taking place right ahead of the Australian Open 2022.

Bencic and Raducanu faced off in the quarter-finals of the US Open and the 18-year-old bulldozed past the Swiss in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.

Sep 4, 2021; Flushing, NY, USA; Belinda Bencic of Switzerland celebrates after her match against Jessica Pegula of the United States (not pictured). Day six of the 2021 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The Mubadala World Tennis Championship is actually an exhibition tournament that has been taking place since 2009. Its management decided to organize WTA matches in 2017.

Former World No.1 Maria Sharapova is still the defending champion of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship since the tournament did not take place last year because of the Coronavirus pandemic. On the men’s circuit, Rafael Nadal is the defending winner, who has also won the tournament the maximum number of times (5).

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Raducanu in the 2021 tennis season

Raducanu turned pro in 2021 and the 18-year-old played her first tournament at the WTA Nottingham Open 2021. After this, she arrived in London, where she earned a huge name after delivering some incredible performances at the Wimbledon Championships 2021. She managed to reach the pre-quarters there but failed to go beyond that stage as she had to retire mid-match.

Sep 11, 2021; Flushing, NY, USA; Emma Raducanu of Great Britain celebrates with the championship trophy after her match against Leylah Fernandez of Canada (not pictured) in the women’s singles final. Day thirteen of the 2021 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports

Following this, the emerging star played Challenger and ITF tournaments before travelling to New York. What happened next is history. She stunned everyone with her superb gameplay there and bagged the US Open 2021 title there. Intriguingly, the youngster didn’t drop a single set in the whole tournament.

Although Emma Raducanu failed to leave a mark at the Indian Wells 2021, fans still have huge expectations from her. Will she be able to beat Belinda Bencic at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2021?

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