Emma Raducanu has won back-to-back games for the first time since making her comeback from injury – albeit due to a retirement from Dayana Yastremska in their second-round Indian Wells clash.
The former British No 1 is defending 120 ranking points at Indian Wells this year after reaching the round-of-16 in 2023.
She’s not set herself any major targets for this year with her main goal trying to become a “better tennis player”.
And she already looks on track to achieving that with her display at Indian Wells so far.
Raducanu cruised to victory in the opening round against Rebeka Masarova and that set up a tough second-round tie against Ukraine’s Yastremska.
Emma Raducanu is through to the third round
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The British tennis ace stormed into a 4-0 lead with her opponent clutching at her stomach in serious pain.
The No 30 seed returned to her bench for medical treatment but she was unable to continue with Raducanu progressing into the third round.
It’s the first time this year that Raducanu has won consecutive matches since the Indian Wells tournament last year.
Raducanu’s run at the 2023 tournament came to an end at the hands of world No 1 Iga Swiatek and she could face a similarly difficult test this time around in the next round.
Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka or Peyton Stearns is up next for Raducanu in the third round on Monday.
Speaking earlier this week, Raducanu insisted that she’s not going to get too hung up on whether she has any deep runs at tournaments as she continues her road to recovery.
“I want to work on becoming a better tennis player,” Raducanu said.
“I think for me I’m not too concerned about this year’s tournaments.
“A lot of people out there would say that I need matches, but I think that for me I want to work on my game and development.
Dayana Yastremska required medical attention
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“Taking time to do that is very necessary and not just following the crowd, or playing a lot of matches, or dropping down [to Challenger level] to do that. I want to work on developing skills.”
She added: “It’s just a bit of a journey for me, I would say, you don’t really know what to expect after being out for eight months.
“I felt like because I was so go-go-go since December, I felt like I became a little fatigued, so it was good to go back, freshen up and practice for the American swing, which I’m a big fan of.”
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Dayana Yastremska retired from the match hurt
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Raducanu has a long way to go to reach her former heights of being ranked in the world top 10.
Her wins at Indian Wells ensure she won’t drop outside the top 300 after the tournament.
But any tournament where Raducanu wins a match after the American tournament will help propel the 21-year-old back up the rankings.
Raducanu lost back-to-back matches in Miami and Stuttgart before undergoing surgery on both her wrists, meaning plenty of ranking points are up for grabs from this point on.
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