Antonia Ruzik has found herself in the quarter-finals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships after entering the main draw of the tournament as a ‘lucky loser’.
Top seed and tournament favourite Elena Rybakina was forced to retire in her round of 16 match with Ruzik due to illness with 23-year-old reaping the benefits.
The Croatian has made headlines with one of the tournament’s most unlikely stories. Ruzic’s week in Dubai began with disappointment when she lost in the first round of qualifying to Rebecca Sramkova, missing out on a main-draw spot in the usual way.
However, a string of high-profile withdrawals, including several top players pulling out due to injury or scheduling opened up places in the main draw for lucky losers, and Ruzic seized that unexpected opportunity by signing on as an alternate.
Once in the main draw, Ruzic wasted no time making her mark. In her opening match, she faced 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu and produced the biggest win of her career to date, prevailing 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 to register her first victory over a top-30 opponent.
She then went on to face Anastasia Zakharova in the second round where she controlled much of the match and secured a 6-1, 6-7, 6-1 win over the Russian, showing resilience after dropping the second set in a tie-break before dominating the third to seal victory in just over two hours.
The win set up a round of 16 date with world no 3 and current Australian Open holder Rybakina, the Russian made a strong start to take control of the opening set and lead 1-0.
Similar to her match with Raducanu, Ruzic showed incredible fight as the 23-year-old put the top seed on the back foot as she levelled the game up winning the second set 6-4.
The decider had just begun when Ruzic broke serve and led 1-0, continuing her momentum from the previous sets. However, Rybakina then started to show signs of physical distress, complaining of nausea, fatigue and a heavy head, reportedly worsened by a poor night’s sleep, and called for medical attention during a short pause.
After a consultation with the physio and medical team, the Kazakh player ultimately decided she could not continue and retired from the match, handing Ruzic the victory and a spot in the quarter-finals.
Speaking after the win, Ruzic said she was surprised that Rybakina retired and it wasn’t the way she wanted to win the game.
“I was surprised because I didn’t notice any signs that she wasn’t feeling well, explained Ruzic. “It’s obviously not the way you want to win but I’m happy that I’m through.
“It’s a crazy story that I got in as a lucky loser and now I’m at this stage, sometimes you just have to take your second chances and I’ve been playing like I’ve got nothing to lose.”
There have been a number of high-profile withdrawals throughout the tournament, both before matches began and during play.
Ruzic discussed how she has kept herself in playing condition as she will prepare for her quarter-finals match on Thursday.
“The season is really long, so it’s important to pace yourself,” she said. “Every player is different so it’s about doing things that suit your needs.
“We have seen a lot of withdrawals here which is disappointing, I’ve only had one week off so far this year, so I know how challenging it is for everyone.”
