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DUBAI: Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu is poised to make her first appearance at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships after the Grand Slam winner was awarded a wildcard for the landmark 25th anniversary of the WTA Tour event.

At the 2021 US Open, aged 18 years and 302 days, Raducanu became the youngest player to win a Grand Slam singles tournament since Maria Sharapova triumphed at Wimbledon in 2004. The victory in New York four years ago also saw Raducanu become the first qualifier in the Open Era to win a major championship and the first British female winner at the tournament since Virginia Wade in 1968.

Raducanu, currently ranked No. 60 in the world, recently competed in both the Qatar Open and Abu Dhabi Open while she reached the last 32 of the Australian Open where she was beaten in straight sets by five-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek.

On Raducanu’s inclusion, Ramesh Cidambi, managing director of Dubai Duty Free and chairman of the tournament’s Organising Committee, said: “We are delighted to welcome Emma to the emirate for the first time as she competes in a landmark WTA edition of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. With one Grand Slam title to her name, Emma has underlined the talent she has and is a welcome addition to what is already a world-class field.”

Salah Tahlak, tournament director and deputy managing director of Dubai Duty Free, added: “It’s fantastic to see Emma participating in the WTA Tour event in Dubai for the first time. It’s clear for all to see that Emma possesses an enormous amount of talent and we look forward to watching her on court at this year’s Championships.”

This year’s women’s event is particularly poignant, as it marks the 25th anniversary of the WTA tournament in Dubai, a major milestone in the region’s tennis evolution. Italian Jasmine Paolini returns to defend her title but will face stiff competition from a star-studded field that includes nine of the top 10, including World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. With 36 of the world’s top 40 competing in the WTA 1000 event, this year’s edition will be the most competitive draw in its history.

The Championships’ on-court action begins on Sunday, Feb. 16 with the 25th anniversary of Dubai’s week-long WTA 1000 tournament, followed by the ATP 500 event starting Feb. 24.