Britain’s Emma Raducanu was defeated in straight sets by Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima in her first-round match at Indian Wells on Thursday.
It was Raducanu’s first appearance since she was the target of “fixated behaviour” from a man during the Dubai Championships in February, with the man subsequently banned from all future WTA events “pending a threat assessment” and given a restraining order.
Having admitted prior to the event that she was unsure if she would complete at Indian Wells, Raducanu lost 3-6 2-6 to Uchijima as the pair battled through strong winds in the desert but the Brit ultimately was unable to put up a fight against her in-form opponent.
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It is also the first time she teamed up with new coach Vladimir Platenik, after Nick Cavaday stood down for health reasons following the Australian Open, where Raducanu was heavily beaten by five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek in the third round.
However, Raducanu was unable to master the hot and windy conditions of the desert with Uchijima claiming four games in a row to take the first set 6-3.
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Raducanu said she was happy to make her return at the Indian Wells after the stalking ordeal she suffered at the Dubai Championships, where she said she ‘couldn’t see the ball through tears’ and could ‘barely breathe’
The second set followed a similar tale, and after Raducanu was broken in the first game she was unable to gather momentum in her favour or challenge Uchijima’s serve amid a lot of unforced errors.
Uchijima held her serve and won crucial points to inch slowly towards victory before ending the match with a hold to love for a 6-3 6-2 victory.
Uchijima will face USA’s Coco Gauff in the next round, while Raducanu heads to prepare for the Miami Open.
Fearnley edged out by teenager Fonseca
Jacob Fearnley was beaten in three sets
Britain’s Jacob Fearnley fell to a 2-6 6-1 3-6 defeat to Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca at Indian Wells.
World No 80 Fonseca rallied from a break down in the third set to beat the Brit during his tournament debut.
Fearnley was unable to find his rhythm during the opening set with Fonseca easing through, but the 23-year-old made a comeback in the second set to send the match to a decider.
Fearnley, who is ranked one spot below Fonseca, raced to a 3-1 lead in the third set before his Brazilian opponent took the final five points to book his place in the following round where he will meet another Brit, 13th seed Jack Draper.
Tale of the Tape
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