Emma Raducanu made an impressive start to her Indian Wells campaign by recording a comprehensive straight-sets victory over Russian Anastasia Zakharova.
British number one Raducanu was all smiles as she waved to the crowd after completing the 6-1 6-3 win at the prestigious WTA 1,000 event in California.
The 23-year-old, who received a first-round bye as the 25th seed, could face world number six Amanda Anisimova in the third round – if the American can overcome Russian Anna Blinkova.
Following Raducanu’s second-round exit at the Australian Open in January, the 2021 US Open champion reached only the second final of her career in Cluj but then failed to win a match in Doha or Dubai.
In a promising start to her Indian Wells campaign, she won 80% of points behind her first serve and conceded just six points across her four service games in a dominant first-set display.
The 86th-ranked Zakharova, 24, resisted a break point in the opening game of the second – but Raducanu held to love before forcing the breakthrough at the next opportunity.
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