by Emma Raducanu scored her best win in 18 months since winning the US Open, defeating world No. 13 Beatriz Haddad Maia in a thrilling match under the palm trees of Indian Wells.
Despite her status as a Grand Slam champion, Raducanu is still relatively inexperienced against opponents of this quality, having only faced top 20 players eight times before. But you wouldn’t have known how she charged at Haddad Maia from the start, ripping through her service at love and then breaking the Brazilian’s powerful left-handed serve at the first opportunity.
Raducanu’s quick start was unexpected – especially from a woman who had arrived in Indian Wells last week in some disarray, wearing heavy bands on both wrists and struggling with the after-effects of her recent tonsillitis.
Haddad Maia seemed confused by the positivity of Raducanu’s early ball strikes and footwork, leading to the Brit stepping forward at every opportunity to open up the angles. That first set was something of a mismatch – and yet Raducanu let the momentum fade early in the second set.
As she later said, “I lowered my intensity and against an opponent as great as Beatriz it’s 6-2 before you know it.”
That was indeed the situation. Haddad Maia started to use her physical strength – she’s an imposing figure at 6ft with biceps like steel cords – and now it was Raducanu who did most of the hauling.
Raducanu took a toilet break after the second set. It didn’t seem like Haddad Maia was particularly pleased with the delay, as she had spoken to the chair umpire and also appeared to be saying something to Raducanu when she eventually returned to court.
But now we saw the best of the game as both players pursued their groundstrokes with aggressive intent. A great rally saw Raducanu play six consecutive overheads while Haddad Maia danced around the back of the court, sending lob after lob in a manner somewhat reminiscent of Andy Murray.
Eventually the pressure eased on Haddad Maia, who hit a backhand that was broken to make it 4-3. Now Raducanu was in the driver’s seat, and she kept her cool brilliantly despite seeing her first three match points all saved by her brave but ultimately disappointed opponent.
After 2 hours and 20 minutes of mesmerizing drama, Raducanu was home 6-1 2-6 6-4. This was only the second time she had won three games at the same event since her drive to the US Open title, and Indian Wells is a much bigger deal than Seoul (where she reached the semifinals in September before retiring). Injury).
Indian Wells also has a much bigger draw – of 96 players as opposed to Seoul’s 32 – so she’s only in the last 16. But that win certainly reminded everyone of the qualities that led them to their stunning title run in New York – viz innate competitiveness, big heart, wonderful athleticism and solid technique.
“I’m very happy with how I fought and persevered in the third set,” said Raducanu afterwards. “I managed to get my focus and intensity back.
“It’s pretty amazing to me. I didn’t really prepare for this tournament. I haven’t really practiced. Coming out of here and playing at this level and being competitive is a great sign for me.
“I’ve just had a great two weeks [of training] at home in London and it’s very exciting for me at times to see those come through and show themselves at crucial points on the pitch. Right now my focus is just coming back, resting and recovering for tomorrow because that was a tough match in the heat.”
