Emma Raducanu showcased the very best her tennis has to offer last night, beating Anastasia Zakharova in straight sets.
She was firing from the very first serve, and once she rushed into an early break, she never really looked back.
The British number one built upon that early pressure, and the 6-1, 6-3 scoreline was indicative of a dominant, aggressive display from Raducanu.
This is exactly the kind of tennis she will have envisioned when discussing her preferred play style going forward.
At which Grand Slam is Emma Raducanu most likely to win a second major title? Let us know why below 👇
She spoke about this and the prospect of facing Amanda Anisimova in her post-match on-court interview.
Emma Raducanu’s on-court interview after Indian Wells win
Raducanu began by offering an overview of the match: “Yeah, it was a really good match. I’m so pleased with it.
“You know, it’s not easy. I haven’t played a match yet here, and my opponent’s played three, so you always know about that dynamic going in, but I was really pleased with the prep I’d done for the last week, and felt like my game was heading in a better direction.
“So for me, and I’ve seen that proof on the match court, it was really rewarding, and I’m just really happy with it.”
She would then discuss her returning, which was exceptional throughout as she forged eight break points, converting five of them: “Yeah, that was a great kind of show of, I guess, my game.
“Today, I think I played really well, and it was nice to see the things that we’ve been working on on the practice court transfer. For me, returning is such a big strength of mine, and I think when I’m returning well, it makes me a different player to play against compared to when I’m not.
“And I feel like in the last couple of months, I’ve been a bit loose on return games and haven’t quite found that rhythm. So I don’t think it’s perfect yet, but I think it’s definitely a lot better than where I was feeling.”
Who should be Emma Raducanu’s next coach?
Raducanu is well supported wherever she goes, but Indian Wells seems to reach a new level. She thanked the fans before looking ahead to Anisimova: “Yeah, I mean, Amanda’s obviously played amazing kind of since we’ve last played a few times, and she’s made a couple Slam finals, one Masters, so I think it’ll be a really tough match if it is her.
“But I just need to take care of my game.
“I think I’m not necessarily, you know, aiming for the stars right now. I think I just want to be doing my game better and better, and I think whenever I go on the court, if I apply myself like I did today, I think I’ll be proud of myself, and yeah, I’ll be in a good place.”
Emma Raducanu is the main event at Indian Wells
Despite heading to Indian Wells in uninspiring form, having done relatively little in 2026, Raducanu is still the talk of the town.
That should come as no surprise though, given how intensely scrutinised she has been ever since her 2021 US Open title.
Following many first-round matches, some of the world’s leading players have been asked about her recent conduct.
Aryna Sabalenka spoke about Raducanu’s recent coaching decision, whilst Coco Gauff and Alexander Zverev also weighed in.
She is such a huge draw and remains hugely relevant whether she is winning or losing.
Raducanu will hope that, in the months to come, her bold decision to proceed without a coach pays off and silences the very vocal critics.
