Fasten your seatbelts for a high-profile first-round clash at the 2025 Dubai Tennis Championships! The 2021 US Open champion, Emma Raducanu is all set to face the former world number 3, Maria Sakkari in just a few hours from now. Raducanu has struggled a lot with injuries and lack of form ever since her heroics in NY (2021). So, now her primary goal is to keep herself fully fit and play more number of matches. She received a main-draw wildcard for this tournament and guess what? Emma Raducanu will be making her debut in Dubai. Can she make a winning start to her campaign?

Emma Raducanu vs Maria Sakkari: Preview

Emma Raducanu didn’t have a great start to her 2025 season! She was defeated by Iga Swiatek in the third round of the AO and then after that, Raducanu faced three early exits from her next three tournaments (the Singapore Tennis Open, the Abu Dhabi Open, and the Qatar Open). So, currently, the Brit is on a four-match losing streak. In her previous match, she was defeated by Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova by 3-6,5-7. What’ll be the scoreline in her first match in Dubai? Well, Emma Raducanu was recently spotted practicing her in an intense training session at 20:46 pm! She’s desperate to make a turnaround from this tournament itself, but can she do that?

Maria Sakkari on the other hand had a decent start to her season. She reached the R16 of the Adelaide International, but over there she was defeated by America’s Jessica Pegula in two sets. The Greek made an early exit from the AO this year, but she came back strongly at the Linz Open. Maria Sakkari reached the QF of the 2025 Linz Open, but she couldn’t do much against Iga Swiatek in the R32 of the Qatar Open. So, she will be entering this match following her 3-6,2-6 defeat to the Pole.

Last time, when Emma Raducanu and Maria Sakkari had met each other, the Brit was heard saying, “I think today was really up there with the most fun I’ve had on the tennis court. I really enjoyed every single moment.” Will Emma Raducanu have a similar fun outing on this mega clash on Super Sunday?

Raducanu vs Sakkari: Head-to-Head

Emma Raducanu has faced Maria Sakkari two times in her career so far and interestingly, she got the edge in both of those occasions. So, currently, Raducanu leads the H2H record against Sakkari by 2-0.

• 2024 Wimbledon R32: Raducanu 6-2,6-3.
• 2021 US Open SF: Raducanu 6-1,6-4.

Prediction: Sakkari to win in two sets

Emma Raducanu may have an edge in the H2H record, but Maria Sakkari has been slightly in better form in the last few weeks. Both these players will be desperate to make a winning start in Dubai. If we take a glimpse at their numbers from this season, Emma Raducany (60) has a win-loss record of 2-6, while Maria Sakkari has recorded 3-6 in 2025.

If we take a glimpse at their playing styles, Maria Sakkari’s dynamic presence on the court is defined by her aggressive, all-court style of play. She has strong first serve and powerful groundstrokes in her armory. Her powerful swing and her strategic moves during the matches keep her opponents always on their toes. Sakkari’s fierce competitiveness is also another aspect of her game that makes her a really special player on the Tour.

On the other hand, Emma Raducanu is a baseline player with an aggressive style of play. She has a strong two-handed backhand and can also hit a one-handed backhand with a slice, to break up the pace of the rallies and disrupt her opponent’s rhythm. Emma Raducanu has a strong forehand and she is also known for her return of serve. Apart from that, Maria Sakkari also needs to watch out for Raducanu’s effective drop shots! Raducanu’s movement, court coverage, footwork, speed, and anticipation allow her to get into favorable positions during rallies, but will this match go deep?

Well, looking at Raducanu’s form in the last few tournaments, that looks pretty unlikely at the moment! So, we feel Maria Sakkari will wrap things up in two sets in this epic battle.