Ons Jabeur blasts her way into last eight of Abu Dhabi Open

Tunisian fan favourite Ons Jabeur blasted her way into the last eight of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open with a straight-sets victory over Brit Emma Raducanu on Wednesday.

Jabeur was in singles action for the first time, and eager to make up for the disappointment of exiting the doubles alongside partner Naomi Osaka on Tuesday night.

Having edged an entertaining, and relatively close, opening set, Jabeur stepped it up in the second and simply had too much for Raducanu.

It took Jabeur just one hour and 18 minutes to reach a 6-4, 6-1 victory to book her place in the quarter-finals, where she will meet Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia, who beat Magda Linette in the longest WTA main draw match of 2024 earlier in the day.

While there will be disappointment for Raducanu, the 21-year-old produced flashes of quality, particularly in the first set, as she continues her comeback following a lengthy spell out injured last year.