Emma Raducanu advances to the third round at Indian Wells as her opponent, Dayana Yastremska, retired due to illness in the opening set. The 21-year-old Briton swiftly secured a 4-0 lead in just 18 minutes during the first set.
Yastremska, the Ukrainian player, withdrew from the contest after being assessed by medics, visibly experiencing discomfort and holding her stomach between games. In the upcoming round, Raducanu is set to compete against the world number two, 25-year-old Aryna Sabalenka.
After successfully defending her Australian Open title in January, Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka staged a comeback against American Peyton Stearns. She navigated a challenging match, winning 6-7 (2-7), 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) in a gripping third-set tiebreak. In response to Dayana Yastremska’s illness, Emma Raducanu expressed surprise, stating, “I had zero idea to be honest. It surprised me, I was just trying to focus on my side of the court as much as possible and I did that well from the start.”
“I maintained a clean performance for four games, and I genuinely feel sympathy for Dayana because she’s faced numerous challenges. Witnessing people injured is something I hate. I can truly empathize with her as I’ve experienced both injury and illness, and it’s genuinely terrible – the worst thing that can happen to you as an athlete.
As a wild card entry, Raducanu strategically broke Yastremska’s serve in the opening game using a well-placed drop shot and resiliently saved a break point during her initial service game. Securing a second break with a strong backhand, Raducanu comfortably held in the fourth game.
Notably, Yastremska had previously retired with an injury in their sole encounter at Portoroz in Slovenia in 2022. This marks Raducanu’s first consecutive victories since her impressive run to the fourth round at Indian Wells in March 2023.”
