Emma Raducanu came back from 5-0 down to defeat Kaja Jovan

Britain’s Sunay Kartal beat lucky loser Renata Zarazua to reach the quarter-finals of the Abu Dhabi Open after her original opponent – and defending champion – Belinda Bencic withdrew due to illness.

Bencic, ranked ninth in the world, became the first mother to win a singles title in the WTA since May 2023, when she defeated Ashlyn Kruger in last year’s final, just four months after her return from maternity leave.

Kartal, who played two matches in the qualifiers before defeating Spaniard Cristina Busca in the first round, was on the court for only 57 minutes to defeat Mexican Zarazua 6-0, 6-3.

The British player, ranked second and ranked 61st in the world, will face 20-year-old Czech Sara Bielec in the quarter-finals.

Her British colleague Katie Poulter reached the quarter-finals of the Ostrava Open with a straight sets victory over fifth-seeded Swiss Viktoria Golubic.

Boulter (29 years old) lost only two games in each set to set up a match with fourth seed Rebecca Sramkova or Linda Frovertova.

It is the first time she has won consecutive singles matches since the Nottingham Open in June.