Emma Raducanu gets miserable draw at Qatar Open after receiving late wildcard

Emma Raducanu has been handed a brutal draw at the Qatar Open after taking a last-minute wildcard.

The British No. 2 will be hoping to end her three-match losing streak at the first WTA 1000 event of the season.

But it won’t be easy, as Raducanu faces Ekaterina Alexandrova, with world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka a guaranteed opponent in round two.

Raducanu has been on a tough stretch of matches of late. After reaching the third round of the Australian Open for the first time, she won just one game in a demolition job by Iga Swiatek.

The 22-year-old has since suffered back-to-back first-round exits. Raducanu lost a three-hour three-setter to Cristina Bucsa at the Singapore Tennis Open before going out to Marketa Vondrousova in Abu Dhabi.

Following her latest defeat, Raducanu was keen to get back on the match court and took a wildcard into next week’s WTA 1000 in Doha.

But it will be a challenge for the Brit to end her losing run, as she faces world No. 25 Alexandrova.