Emma Raducanu’s Indian Wells campaign came to an end on Sunday evening when she lost to Amanda Anisimova in straight sets.
It was a commanding performance from the American star, who broke Raducanu’s serve on five occasions en route to a 6-1, 6-1 victory.
As for Raducanu, her promising start at the event was quickly forgotten amid poor serving and an inability to impose her will on the contest.
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Raducanu’s start to the 2026 season has been chequered, with an impressive showing in Romania contrasted by disappointments in Australia and Dubai.
So, how does Raducanu’s start to the 2026 season compare to her start to 2025?
Emma Raducanu’s start to the 2026 season in comparison to 2025
Emma Raducanu began her 2025 campaign in impressive style, defeating Ekaterina Alexandrova and Amanda Ansimova to reach the Australian Open third round.
However, the momentum was quickly quashed by Iga Swiatek, who defeated the British number one 6-1, 6-0.
Raducanu struggled to regain her footing thereafter, first struggling to make her mark at the Singapore Tennis Open.
Raducanu lost to Cristina Bucsa in her opening match before travelling to Abu Dhabi, where she again lost in the first round – this time to 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova.
Raducanu’s woes continued in Qatar, as Alexandrova avenged her Australian Open defeat by beating the Brit 6-3, 7-5 in the first round.
A week later, Raducanu ended her losing streak, beating Maria Sakkari in the Dubai Tennis Championships first round.
She then lost to Karolina Muchova, and subsequently travelled to California for Indian Wells.
In the Golden State, Raducanu was defeated in the first round by Moyuka Uchijima, giving her a 2-5 record to start the year.
Emma Raducanu’s start to the 2025 WTA season…
| Tournament | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Australian Open | R1 | Ekaterina Alexandrova | W 7-6(4), 7-6(2) |
| R2 | Amanda Anisimova | W 6-3, 7-5 | |
| R3 | Iga Świątek | L 6-1, 6-0 | |
| Singapore Open | R1 | Cristina Bucșa | L 5-7, 7-5, 7-5 |
| Abu Dhabi Open | R1 | Markéta Vondroušová | L 6-3, 6-4 |
| Qatar Open | R1 | Ekaterina Alexandrova | L 6-3, 7-5 |
| Indian Wells | R1 | Moyuka Uchijima | L 6-3, 6-2 |
This year, Raducanu began her season at the Hobart International, reaching the quarter-finals before losing to Taylah Preston.
The British star then failed to impress at the Australian Open, losing to Anastasia Potapova in the second round.
However, she would bounce back quickly, producing some excellent tennis on her way to the Transylvania Open final, where she lost to Sorana Cirstea.
Consecutive first-round losses in Qatar and Dubai followed, before her third round result in Indian Wells.
Consequently, Raducanu now has a 7-5 record to start the 2026 season.
Emma Raducanu’s results improve after Indian Wells
After the 2025 Indian Wells Open, Raducanu hired Mark Petchey on an informal basis and her results quickly improved.
The British number one beat Emma Navarro and Amanda Anisimova on her way to the Miami Open quarter-finals.
She then won one match at the Madrid Open, before winning three contests in Rome on her way to the Italian Open quarter-finals.
At which Grand Slam is Emma Raducanu most likely to win a second major title? Let us know why below 👇
With Raducanu performing well in March and April last year, she now has a significant amount of WTA ranking points to defend this year.
In total, Raducanu has 370 points to defend across tournaments in Miami, Madrid and Rome.
Raducanu will hope that her re-hiring of Mark Petchey will aid her progress across the next few months, as his hiring did in 2025.
