Emma Radukanu outlasted Anastasia Zakharova to win her first match at Indian Wells.
Raducanu defeated qualifier Zakharova in straight sets, winning 6-1, 6-3.
After parting ways with coach Francisco Roig, Raducanu reunited daily with Mark Petchey during Indian Wells and continues to work closely with hitting partner Alexis Kanter.
The British number one played with few faults against Zakharova, serving strongly in the first match and breaking her opponent’s serve at the first opportunity.
She raced to a 3-0 lead in the first set, with Zakharova winning the first game.
Raducanu relentlessly pushed back the advantage and took the first set.
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Emma Radukanu said after her convincing win over Anastasia Zakharova that she was happy that the work she had been working on with Mark Petsche was reflected in her match play.
Zakharova tried to recover before the second set, but Radukanu remained in command.
Zakharova’s double fault in the seventh game of the second set gave Radukanu three break points. She won the second one, got a double break, and was in position to serve out the match.
However, Zakharova made the first break as Raducanu tried to close out the contest.
However, this did not change the flow of the match. Raducanu quickly broke back to end the two sets.
Raducanu recently lost in the first round to Antonia Ruzic at the Dubai Tennis Championships and withdrew from her first round match against Camila Osorio in Qatar due to illness. However, with this victory, their advance to the third round was confirmed.
“It’s not easy. I’ve never played here before and they’ve played three matches, so you always know the momentum. But I was really happy with my preparation over the past week. I felt like my game was going in a better direction and to see the evidence of that on the court was really rewarding and really satisfying,” Raducanu told Sky Sports Tennis.
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Danial Khan was joined by Emma Raducanu to talk about his recent break-up with former coach Francis Roig and his recent mental health which has affected his performances.
“Today’s game was a great show. I thought we played really well,” she continued. “I don’t think it’s perfect yet, but I think it’s a lot better from where I was feeling.
“I’m not necessarily aiming to be a star right now. I just want to keep improving my game. No matter what I do on the court, if I can show myself like I did today, I think I’ll be proud of myself and I’ll be in a good position.”
Indian Wells’ top seed Aryna Sabalenka also advanced, defeating Japan’s Himeno Sakazume in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2.
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