Summary:
- Amanda Anisimova comfortably beat Emma Raducanu at the Indian Wells after taking control early in both sets.
- Raducanu lost in less than 60 minutes.
- Coco Gauff retired with a painful arm injury while Aryna Sabalenka, Jannik Sinner, and Alexander Zverev all advanced to the next round.
Emma Raducanu struggled to keep pace with Amanda Anisimova, who delivered a confident performance at 2026 Indian Wells to move past the British player with little trouble. The Brit lost a third-round clash 6-1, 6-1 in just 52 minutes.
Heavy Pressure
Anisimova, who reached both the Wimbledon and US Open finals last year and currently sits at world No. 6, showed exactly why she is considered one of the most dangerous players on tour. From the start, she put Raducanu under heavy pressure and never really let up.
Raducanu had come into the match with some momentum after beating Anastasia Zakharova in straight sets in her opening match. She had also reunited with coach Mark Petchey on a day-to-day basis during the tournament following her earlier split from Francisco Roig.
However, things quickly became difficult, as the American broke Raducanu in the very first game and immediately took control.
A second break soon followed, giving Anisimova a quick 4-1 lead in the opening set. Raducanu struggled to find answers and didn’t win another game before Anisimova wrapped up the set with yet another break.
The second set started in a similar way. Anisimova broke immediately again and continued to dictate the rallies.
Raducanu managed to get one game on the board, but when the score reached 4-1 once more, it was clear the American was firmly in control. Another break allowed Anisimova to serve out the match and seal a convincing victory.
Gauff, Forced to Retire Due to Injury
Elsewhere in the tournament, Coco Gauff’s match ended in worrying fashion after the fourth seed was forced to retire due to an injury to her left arm.
Gauff, a two-time major champion, had been trailing Alexandra Eala 6-2 2-0 when she stopped the match. It was only the second retirement of her career.
It felt like a firework was going off inside of my arm and then my whole arm felt like it was on fire. We’re going to figure out what it is [with an MRI on Monday] but based off the feeling, I’m being told that it’s probably something nerve-related. I’ve never felt a sensation like this before. The good news is they don’t think it’s going to be a long-term type of situation, so I should be fine for Miami. We’ve just got to figure out exactly what it is and, I guess, how to prevent it in the future.
Meanwhile, top seed Aryna Sabalenka had a far more comfortable outing, defeating Jaqueline Cristian 6-4, 6-1 to reach the last 16. She will next face Naomi Osaka, who beat Camila Osorio 6-1, 3-6, 6-1. It will be the first meeting between Sabalenka and Osaka since their match at the US Open in 2018, which Osaka won.
In the men’s draw, second seed Jannik Sinner defeated Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 6-2. Alexander Zverev also advanced, though he needed three sets to beat Brandon Nakashima 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, 6-4.
Jack Draper and Novak Djokovic are both scheduled to play on Monday. If they win their matches against Francisco Cerundolo and Aleksandar Kovacevic, they will face each other in the next round.
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