INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Emma Raducanu enjoyed a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Anastasia Zakharova to reach the last 32 in Indian Wells.
Raducanu arrived at the WTA 1000 tournament on a three-match losing streak and eager to rediscover form after her January split from coach Francisco Roig.
With old ally Mark Petchey again in the corner of the British No 1 on an ad-hoc basis, Raducanu eased past qualifier Zakharova at the BNP Paribas Open.
An ace in Raducanu’s opening service game was a sign of things to come. The world No 24 followed up with an immediate break against Zakharova before taking a 3-0 lead.
Zakharova got on the board in the next service game but Raducanu sent down another ace before she broke again to earn approval from the onlooking Petchey.
The first set was wrapped up in 32 minutes and Raducanu claimed a break in the third game of the second set.
With her ball-striking too strong for Zakharova to handle, she continued to exert her dominance in the first-round contest. A slight wobble occurred during the eighth game with Raducanu forced to rally from 15-40 down, but she fought back admirably.
