Raducanu burst into tears while trailing Muchova 2-0 during their second-round clash. The Brit approached the umpire and Muchova later joined them, consoling her opponent.

The world No. 61 resumed the match but suffered a 7-6(6) 6-4 defeat. It later emerged that a spectator in the first few rows of the stands who was “fixated” with Raducanu had to be asked to leave.

In a statement, the WTA said: “On Monday, February 17, Emma Raducanu was approached in a public area by a man who exhibited fixated behaviour.

“This same individual was identified in the first few rows during Emma’s match on Tuesday at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and subsequently ejected. He will be banned from all WTA events pending a threat assessment.

“Player safety is our top priority, and tournaments are advised on security best practices for international sporting events. The WTA is actively working with Emma and her team to ensure her well-being and provide any necessary support.

“We remain committed to collaborating with tournaments and their security teams worldwide to maintain a safe environment for all players.”

Dubai Tennis Championships tournament organisers have now released their own statement on the incident, supporting the WTA’s actions.

It read: “We fully support the statement made earlier today by the WTA in regard to an incident involving Emma Raducanu on February 17.

“The tournament security team worked in collaboration with the WTA security team to proactively identify and immediately eject the individual in question from the stadium during Emma’s second-round match on Tuesday.”

“We support the WTA’s decision to ban the individual in question from all WTA events, and share the Tour’s longstanding commitment to player welfare, safety and wellbeing.

“We thank Emma for her contribution to this year’s tournament and look forward to welcoming her back next year.”

Raducanu showed courage to continue the match following the scary ordeal and stormed back from a 0-4 deficit in the opening set to force a tiebreak. But former French Open finalist Muchova proved too strong and got the job done in straight sets.

The British No. 2 ended her four-match losing streak in Dubai by beating Maria Sakkari in the first round.