Emma Raducanu suffered a demoralising defeat at Indian Walls, falling 6-3 6-2 to Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima amid challenging windy conditions and a flurry of errors, but then denied she was distracted on her return to the court. Back in action after distressing events involving a stalker at last month’s Dubai Open, Raducanu was hoping for better as she continues her partnership with new Slovakian coach Vladimir Platenik.
With only one win in her last six matches at a location where she has previously excelled, Raducanu acknowledged the need for vast improvement. “It was just a very difficult match for me,” she said in a press conference. “I think it was tough conditions, difficult ball from my opponent. I tried to be aggressive, I tried to make the ball, but I guess it didn’t work today. I had great support around me.
“I was feeling pretty good. I think today was just a bit of a curveball, but I guess I am just going to move on. I think I could improve every area of my game, to be honest, after today’s performance.”
Despite the turbulent few weeks leading up to Indian Wells, which she signed up to at the last minute, Raducanu rejected suggestions she was distracted: “I didn’t have what happened in Dubai in my head at all today. If anything, (it was) a bit of a lack of preparation on the tennis court.”
She did however heap praise on her new coach, the seasoned Platenik: “It is good that I have someone who is very experienced here, and we will see how the work goes and how we get on as well on and off the court and the methods and everything.
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“I am looking forward to seeing how it goes. I think I just need to keep trying to put one foot in front of the other and not look back too much.”
Elsewhere, Britain’s own Sonay Kartal, entering as a lucky loser, made a remarkable impression by defeating American qualifier Varvara Lepchenko with a 7-6(6) 6-2 scoreline, setting up an encounter with the 16th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia.
But Jacob Fearnley couldn’t secure a match against his former junior rival Jack Draper, succumbing to Brazil’s young talent Joao Fonseca. The 18-year-old Fonseca dazzled spectators by clinching five straight games to claim a 6-2 1-6 6-3 victory.
Reflecting on the match, Fearnley gave credit to Fonseca’s powerful game and mental fortitude, stating: “He hit a couple of forehands that were massive. So he has the ability to up his pace of shot. But I think what’s impressive is how strong he is mentally, and at such a young age.”