Ons Jabeur dazzles to outclass Emma Raducanu at Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open

Ons Jabeur likes to put on a show for her fans and that’s exactly what she did on Wednesday evening with a dazzling victory over Emma Raducanu at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open.

As one of the top four seeds, Jabeur received a bye into the second round this week, so this match was her first since an earlier-than-expected exit at the Australian Open last month.

Playing just her third competitive match of the season, any concerns that Jabeur might be undercooked were allayed with a controlled performance as the Tunisian claimed a 6-4, 6-1 win in the last match on Stadium Court.

Jabeur moves on to face Brazilian sixth seed Beatriz Haddad Maia on Friday for a place in the semi-finals, and a repeat of this display would put her in a strong position to go deep this week.

“I’m very happy with the performance today,” Jabeur, 29, said. “I played a great match and I’m hoping to see this level the whole week.”

The world No 6 started fast against Raducanu, controlling the match from the baseline while being solid on serve to race into a 4-1 lead. A wobble when serving for the first set at 5-2 halted her momentum slightly but she made no mistake at the second attempt, closing out the opener with a love service hold.

Jabeur maintained her dominance in the second set, breaking Raducanu’s serve three times in a run of six straight games to close out the victory in just 78 minutes. The Tunisian ended the match with an astounding 35 winners against 11 unforced errors.

It was a markedly improved performance from her last match at the Australian Open, where Jabeur was defeated in less than an hour by 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva.

“I’m feeling emotionally much better this week, and I had some amazing practice after the Australian Open,” Jabeur