Emma Raducanu made an impressive start to her Indian Wells campaign by recording a comprehensive straight-set victory over Russian Anastasia Zakharova.
British number one Raducanu was all smiles as she waved to the crowd after completing a 6-1, 6-3 win at the prestigious WTA 1,000 event in California.
The 23-year-old, who received a first-round bye as the 25th seed, will face world number six Amanda Anisimova in the third round if the American can overcome Russian Anna Blinkova.
“I think my game was in a really good place,” Raducanu told BBC Sport.
“I hadn’t necessarily felt so good for the last month, so I’m really pleased with the work we did for the last week, and just for it to transfer on the match court like that. It gives you huge confidence that you are doing the right thing.
“Today’s match was a great display for me of how I want to be playing, of what I want to be feeling like when I’m on the court.”
Following Raducanu’s second-round exit at the Australian Open in January, the 2021 US Open champion reached only the second final of her career in Cluj but then failed to win a match in Doha or Dubai.
In a dominant first-set display against Zakharova, she won 80% of points behind her first serve and conceded just six points across four service games.
The 86th-ranked Zakharova, 24, resisted a break point in the opening game of the second set – but Raducanu held to love before forcing the breakthrough at the next opportunity.
Raducanu appeared in control throughout as she married clean ball striking with aggressive baseline play to close in on victory.
She was forced to withstand Zakharova’s late resistance, losing serve for the first time while serving for the match, but responded by sealing the victory on her opponent’s serve in the next game.
The Briton’s team in California included Mark Petchey, a former coach to Andy Murray, who previously joined Raducanu’s team last March when she reached the Miami Open quarter-finals.
Raducanu told BBC Sport this week that she will be “tapping into a few people” for coaching advice going forward, after parting company with Francisco Roig.
The Briton remains open to recruiting another full-time coach – Spaniard Roig was the seventh she has worked with on such a basis – but only on the condition that they do not seek to dictate how she should play.
Victory for Raducanu comes after fellow British players Sonay Kartal and Jacob Fearnley reached the second round of the women’s and men’s singles draws, respectively, on Thursday.
Also on Friday, women’s top seed Aryna Sabalenka beat Japan’s Himeno Sakatsume 6-4, 6-2 in her 100th match as the reigning world number one.
This was just the way Raducanu wants to play: with freedom, aggression, and strong defensive foundations when required.
