WTA Indian Wells: Emma Raducanu earns two-set victory over Rebeka Masarova to reach second round

Emma Raducanu reached the second round at WTA Indian Wells with a 6-2 6-3 victory against Spanish qualifier Rebeka Masarova.

The British star, who is currently world No. 250, roared into a 3-0 double-break lead as the match got underway.

It looked as if it was going to be a straightforward win for the 21-year-old, but Masarova then won two games on the bounce.

Raducanu wrestled back the advantage and regained a three-game lead, before taking the set after saving four break points.

The second set played out in a similar fashion, with Raducanu again starting strongly by winning three games in a row.

She again let Masarova back into the contest, and the Spaniard continued to make it difficult even as Raducanu took a 5-3 lead.

The marathon final game comprised 17 points, with Raducanu finally triumphing on her fourth match point.

It was Raducanu’s fourth victory since she returned from an eight-month injury absence.

She impressed at Indian Wells last year, not too long before undergoing surgery on both wrists and her ankle.

Her run to the fourth round at the WTA 1000 tournament was deemed to have been her best performance since her historic victory at the US Open in 2021, when she became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam.

Raducanu will now come up against 2024 Australian Open semi-finalist and world No. 31 Dayana Yastremska, who, as a seeded player, enters Indian Wells in the second round.

The pair have only met once before, in the first round of the 2022 Slovenia Open. Raducanu was the victor after Yastremska was forced to retire with a wrist injury while trailing 6-2 5-3.

After serving eight double-faults during her encounter against Masarova, Raducanu will likely be focusing on improving her serve before the second round.