Emma Raducanu advanced to the next stage of the Indian Wells tournament with a steady and trouble-free display, confidently securing a 6-2, 6-3 victory against qualifier Rebeka Masarova. However, she faces a tougher challenge on Saturday against 30th seed Dayana Yastremska.
“Super important for me to get through that. It’s one of the trickiest tournaments conditions-wise because it varies so much. I dealt with that really well and overcame a really tough opponent who is dangerous in these conditions,” Raducanu told Sky Sports Tennis, referencing the notoriously slow, high-bouncing and windy conditions in the desert.
After a first set defeat to Anhelina Kalinina in Doha last month, Raducanu quickly regained her sharpness in her match against Masarova. The Spaniard, ranked No 96, had a strong serve but was inconsistent. However, Raducanu’s excellent returns and precise and fast ball movement exposed Masarova’s weak movement. Compared to her extremely aggressive tactics in the Middle East, Raducanu played with more patience and strategically chose when to attack from the baseline.
However, when the score was 3-0, Raducanu made a mistake by serving three double faults, giving Masarova the chance to catch up. Despite this, she persevered through her difficulties and her more consistent gameplay and agility proved to be a significant factor as she fought through a challenging service game at 3-2 and then comfortably finished the set.
In the second set, Raducanu also gained an early 3-0 advantage. However, she then struggled and the set became much more challenging. Despite this, due to having already won the first set and her opponent’s diminishing confidence, Raducanu stayed composed during crucial moments and ultimately won on her fourth match point.
“I am thrilled to be back playing in America, as I have achieved some of my greatest successes here. I am grateful for all the love and support I have received,” expressed Raducanu.
This week marks a significant milestone for Raducanu as she aims to improve her ranking after taking an eight-month break to heal from surgeries on her wrists and ankles in April. In the previous year, Raducanu surpassed two top 20 players to advance to the fourth round in Indian Wells, one of her strongest performances since winning the US Open. Now, she must defend those points or risk a decline in the rankings. At the start of the week, she was facing a possible drop from her current position of No. 250 to around 340. However, with her recent win, Raducanu has risen to around 315.
Raducanu has stated that she is currently not placing emphasis on her ranking. She recently trained at the LTA’s National Tennis Centre in Roehampton while making appearances in the Middle East and California. She feels that, instead of playing more, she should focus on advancing her skills as a player at this stage of her career.
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Starting from Friday, the high-ranked players will join the competition in both the men’s and women’s categories, having skipped the first round. For Raducanu, this presents a chance to showcase any improvements she has made during her training in recent weeks against strong opponents. Her upcoming match will be against Yastremska, who began the year by making it to the semi-finals of the Australian Open.
After making a surprising comeback to the world of professional tennis, Caroline Wozniacki has been struggling to gain momentum, as seen in her 5-6 overall record. However, she made progress by securing a spot in the second round with a 7-6 (6), 6-1 victory against Zhu Lin. In her upcoming match on Friday, she will face her next challenge against 25th seed Donna Vekic.
Simona Halep has declared that she will be resuming her professional tennis career at the Miami Open in just 10 days. This comes after her four-year ban for doping was shortened to just nine months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. This decision allows the former top-ranking player to resume competition right away.
