Emma Raducanu has been handed a brutal draw at the Qatar Open after taking a last-minute wildcard.

The British No. 2 will be hoping to end her three-match losing streak at the first WTA 1000 event of the season.

But it won't be easy, as Raducanu faces Ekaterina Alexandrova, with world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka a guaranteed opponent in round two.

Raducanu has been on a tough stretch of matches of late. After reaching the third round of the Australian Open for the first time, she won just one game in a demolition job by Iga Swiatek.

The 22-year-old has since suffered back-to-back first-round exits. Raducanu lost a three-hour three-setter to Cristina Bucsa at the Singapore Tennis Open before going out to Marketa Vondrousova in Abu Dhabi.

Following her latest defeat, Raducanu was keen to get back on the match court and took a wildcard into next week's WTA 1000 in Doha.

But it will be a challenge for the Brit to end her losing run, as she faces world No. 25 Alexandrova.

Raducanu beat Alexandrova in the first round of the Australian Open less than a month ago. But the world No. 25 comes into their second meeting on top form, fresh off the back of winning the Linz Open.

If Raducanu can overcome the Russian she is guaranteed to face world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the second round, as the three-time Major winner has a bye.

It will be Sabalenka's first match since she suffered defeat in the Australian Open final. It was her first loss at Melbourne Park since 2022.

Raducanu also entered the Qatar Open using a wildcard last year but it didn't go well. The world No. 56 suffered a 6-0 7-6(6) defeat to Anhelina Kalinina.

The former US Open champion is also competing without a full-time coach after parting ways with Nick Cavaday, who needed time at home to recover from a chronic health condition.

Raducanu was joined by Roman Kelecic in Abu Dhabi over the last week. Kelcic was one of Raducanu's coaches during her teenage years on the ITF circuit and is based nearby in Dubai.

It is not known whether he will accompany the 22-year-old for the rest of the Middle Eastern swing. But Raducanu made it clear she did not want to rush into hiring a replacement for Cavaday.

"It’s a decision that I want to take my time with," she told The National. "I think that's why I haven't necessarily jumped into something straight away, because I want to make sure it's a right fit."