It proved to be a tough outing for Emma Raducanu in the Round of 32 at the Indian Wells. Fresh from a strong Round of 64 victory, she was swept aside 6-1, 6-1 by World No.6 Amanda Anisimova in 52 minutes, visibly hampered by a fitness concern. What happens when confidence meets relentless power on the other side of the net?

“I think in the second round today against Amanda, it was difficult to do that or even kind of come close to putting my stamp on the match. And I think also that goes with playing Amanda,” Raducanu told Sky Sports after the match.

While she can take a few positives from her performance as she gears up for the Miami Open, Raducanu admitted that such a defeat is a really hard one to take.

“She is that type of opponent who likes to put her stamp on it first, and that was very evident today, so yeah, obviously, you have to take some positives. The first match here was better than a lot of matches that I have been playing recently, but a match like that is never easy to kind of take afterwards.”

It was a dominant display from Amanda Anisimova, to say the least. She held serve throughout the match and converted five of her seven break-point opportunities. Emma Raducanu, by contrast, struggled on serve.

Failing to hit an ace and winning only 27% of points on her first serve and 57% on her second. The disparity was glaring, with Anisimova claiming 86% of her first-serve points and 83% on the second.

This result saw the American make it to the Round of 16 at the Indian Wells, where she will be taking on Canada’s Victoria Mboko. While Anisimova did look to be shaky at times during her Round of 64 clash against Anna Blinkova and lost the first set 5-7.

She did make an impressive comeback and won the next two sets 6-0, 6-1. Following her performance against Emma Raducanu, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that she is one of the main contenders to win the prestigious Indian Wells title.

On the other hand, Raducanu will need to make some changes if she hopes to improve her result in the next tournament at Miami. She had brought back former coach Mark Petchey and had come into the tournament with high hopes. However, she continued her dismal string of results in 2026 and exited early once again.

Emma Raducanu’s rollercoaster 2026 so far

Though the year had begun on a decent note for Raducanu as she went on to make the quarter-finals at the Hobart International, things turned sour in the Australian Open. A second-round exit at the Grand Slam resulted in her parting ways with coach Francisco Roig.

The 23-year-old looked to be back on track in the Transylvania Open as she made her first final since her US Open triumph in 2021. However, her wait for a title continued as Romania’s Sorana Cîrstea defeated her 6-0, 6-2 in the final.

Top Stories

Aryna Sabalenka Forced to Hide Her Bags and Shoes Over One Big Fear

Coco Gauff Walks Off Court After Suffering Sharp Pain

Fokina Loses Cool at Umpire as Mensik Takes Medical Timeout

Umpire Forced to End Match After Bizarre Match-Point Hindrance

Next came a Round of 64 exit to Colombia’s Camila Osorio in the Qatar Open. Though Raducanu looked to be in the game, her body had other plans, and she had to withdraw from the match at 2-6, 6-4, 2-0. The Dubai Championships weren’t any better for Raducanu as another Round of 64 exit followed. Despite giving a tough fight, Croatia’s Antonia Ružić clinched the contest 6-1, 5-7, 6-2.

Raducanu will next be seen in action at the Miami Open that is all set to commence from March 17. Last year, she had made it to the Last 8 before being defeated by USA’s Jessica Pegula 6-4, 6-7, 6-2. Will Raducanu be able to improve her form in Miami?