The tricky conditions in the California desert have confounded even the most accomplished tour veterans, and U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu has cautioned everyone to mind the experience gap as she forges ahead in her budding career.
A month after securing her first major title under her belt in the 2021 U.S. Open, Emma Raducanu has failed to secure a win in her first match at Indian Wells.
The 18-year-old British player, seeded 17th, fell 6-2, 6-4 to 100th-ranked Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California.
Losing 6-2, 6-4 in the second round, fortunately for the young ace, she received a first-round bye in the tournament.
The tricky conditions in the California desert have confounded even the most accomplished tour veterans, and Raducanu has cautioned everyone to mind the experience gap as she forges ahead in her budding career.
After dropping the first set that lasted for 30 mins, 6-2, Raducanu fought her way back from a break down to lead 4-2 in the second set.
But with the momentum on her side, Raducanu could seal the set as Sasnovich furiously battled back to win the last four games of the match.
When asked about her first loss after her historic title in the U.S. Open, she was quick to point her opponent Sasnovich. Raducanu praised Sasnovich as she played a better game than her and that she deserved to win.
"I'm still very, very new to the tour. I think that experience just comes from playing week in, week out and experiencing all these different things. I'm kind of glad that what happened today happened so I can learn and take it as a lesson so going forward I'll just have more experienced banked." Raducanu added.
Ranked 150th when arriving at the U.S. Open, Raducanu won 10 consecutive matches to claim the title. She first had to survive three qualifying matches, then rolled through the main draw, becoming the first woman to win the U.S. Open without dropping a set since Serena Williams in 2014.
The Canadian-Filipino Leylah Fernandez, who lost to Raducanu in the U.S. Open final, won her Indian Wells opener Friday.
The 23rd seed cruised past France's Alize Cornet 6-2, 6-3.
Tags: #tennis, #IndianWells, #EmmaRaducanu