This year’s edition of the Qatar Open is all set to begin later this week in Doha. The WTA tournament will feature a star-studded line-up with top names like World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka and five-time Major champion Iga Swiatek making an appearance. Along with them, young tennis sensation Mirra Andreeva and 2021 US Open winner Emma Raducanu will also make their presence felt. While the excitement for the event is gradually escalating, there was a controversial, technical blunder witnessed just days before the tournament’s commencement. But what was the issue?

On Friday, the draws for the Qatar Open were revealed for the women’s singles matches. Just when things began to go underway, it was noticed that details for some of the key draws shared online were incorrect. For example, Emma Raducanu’s first-round fixture had to be reshuffled twice. Why so? It’s because there was a technical error from the side of organizers due to confusion. Apparently, Raducanu was handed two different opponents!

During the ceremony conducting draws, the British No.2’s name appeared alongside Anna Kalinskaya for her first-round match. However, when the information regarding her draw was revealed online, she was listed as a first-round opponent of Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Per The iPaper’s report, the blunder occurred when the draw was completed by the tournament officials. All the chips, with each representing a player, had been drawn out by Qatar Open’s director. However, there still remained an empty line on the 56-line draw sheet. It happened due to a human error while inputting players’ names. Usually, unseeded players’ names are pulled out in a random order after seeded players are drawn out and placed in the blank draw. So where did the confusion arise?

In order to maintain the integrity of the draw procedure, the officials decided that all 40 unseeded players should be reallocated. Basically, the incorrect draw sheet wasn’t circulated by the officials, but the leaked screenshots on social media ended up creating confusion. As a result, Raducanu’s name initially popped up against Anna Kalinskaya. But when the draw was conducted again, she was placed against Alexandrova. It also means that the Brit will have a tough task going into the event, especially in case she clears her first round.

Emma Raducanu gets miserable draw as major challenge awaits her in Qatar Open

Emma Raducanu‘s journey in 2025 has been nothing less than a nightmare. After coming back from an injury-riddled 2024, she hoped to make a solid return on the court. Sadly, the results have been far from her expectations. At the Australian Open last month, she was ousted after a crushing defeat against Iga Swiatek. The former World No.1 dominated her in the third round and won with a score line of 6-1, 6-0.

Hoping to bounce back, the Brit then entered the Singapore Open in late January. However, she failed to impress there too. In the first round, Spain’s Cristina Bucsa eliminated her after taking the match 5-7, 7-5, 7-5. Earlier this month, at the Abu Dhabi Open, Raducanu got a direct entry into the event. However, she couldn’t take advantage of this opportunity either. In the first round encounter, 2023 Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova defeated her in straight sets with a score line of 6-3, 6-4.

Now at the Qatar Open, she will face Ekaterina Alexandrova who’s coming off after her title win in the Linz Open last week. Raducanu will have to put up her best performance against the Russian WTA pro. And even if she beats her, the next round is where she might feel like being stuck in a nightmarish situation. She will face none other than World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in the Round of 32.

The three-time Major winner has got a Bye in Qatar, meaning she’s already moved into the second round. The winner between Alexandrova and Raducanu will meet the Belarusian on February 11. Given the Brit’s poor run in Qatar last season, her chances are not looking positive at the moment. In 2024’s edition, she lost her first round against Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina.