British No 1 Emma Raducanu is showing no ill signs after injuring her leg in Mexico just over two weeks ago to beat Caroline Garcia by three and set up a meeting with Petra Martic in the third round at Indian Wells on Sunday. Japan; “Murray inspired me to dig deep when it got tough”
By Raz Mirza
Last updated: 12/03/22 12:15 am
Emma Raducanu beat Caroline Garcia to a winning start at Indian Wells on Friday
Emma Raducanu showed a glimpse of her US Open winning form to beat Caroline Garcia in Indian Wells after putting aside her fear of injury.
The girl injured her leg during a marathon in Mexico two and a half weeks ago and fears she will have to miss the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, one of the biggest tournaments on the WTA Tour.
But she passed a late fitness test for a spot in the main draw and the teenager made the most of her chance with an impressive performance to overtake world No. 69 Garcia 6. -1 3-6 6-1.
“I’m very happy to have just got my first win in the desert here and I hope to be back for many more years. I think the level of tennis is pretty high these days so it means a lot to overcome that. big, Raducanu said in a court interview.
Raducanu has faced a number of obstacles as she seeks to build a remarkable victory in New York.
A bout of coronavirus interrupted her first pre-season, and she was plagued by blisters at the Australian Open, losing in the second round.
After suffering another trauma in Guadalajara, it seems doubtful she will show up in California. But the world number 11 obeyed the conditions and made it past the first set to lose a game.
The 19-year-old player is fierce and has an accurate shot that makes the former world number 4 bewildered.
She seemed to maintain her high form the next by breaking in the opening game, but then her level dropped, giving Garcia time to take a 4-2 lead.
They then shared a respite before Garcia finally made it past the ninth marathon game, finishing in her sixth set point.
Raducanu needed to refocus and she did so by making it through the first three games, attacking her opponent’s growing number of errors before picking up 12 straight points of 3-1 or more to win. great win.
“To have this win after a smooth start to the year that I had at first means a lot and I’m really happy to have given myself another chance,” said Raducanu, who watched Andy Murray marks 700th win at tour leveltold Amazon Prime Video.
“It was great to see Andy fight through that game and I wanted to watch him, learn from him. He inspired me to learn when it got tough.”
Now she will meet Petra Martic in the third round on Sunday after Croatian 19th seed Tamara Zidansek 7-5 7-6 (8-6).
Raducanu’s Billie Jean King Cup teammate Harriet Dart meets Elina Svitolina of Ukraine late on Friday.
Watson, Boulter bows; Osaka wins in three sets
Heather Watson and Katie Boulter were taken down on Thursday
After the British won the first nine matches of the tournament, Heather Watson and Katie Boulter failed to qualify.
Strong desert winds were a prominent feature of the games but Naomi Osaka fought through it for her first career win over Sloane Stephens, overtaking the Americans 3-6 6-1 6- 2 in round one.
Osaka, the 2018 champion, hasn’t played a single tournament since the Australian Open, after which she tumbled outside the top 50.
Osaka took a 2-0 lead in the third set against her compatriot Stephens, the US Open champion, and took three break points to hold and start a six-game streak to end the match.
“Sloane is such a champion,” said Osaka. “Hopefully, next time we will play in more ideal conditions.
“I feel like I’m fighting for my life. I’m against her, I’m against the wind. That’s crazy. I just thought she’d go through the same thing as me, because so I just have to try. I’ll try my best.”
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