Emma Raducanu breezed past Japan’s Sayaka Ishii to advance to the second round of the Miami Open, securing a dominant 6-2, 6-1 victory at Hard Rock Stadium on Wednesday.
The British number two needed just over an hour to dispatch the 18-year-old, setting up a last-32 clash with American eighth seed Emma Navarro on Friday.
It was Raducanu’s second win since the Australian Open in January and her first since dealing with a stalker incident at the Dubai Open in February. She had suffered an early exit in the first round at Indian Wells last week.
Notably, Slovakian coach Vladimir Platenik was reportedly absent from Raducanu’s match, raising speculation that their trial coaching partnership, which began at Indian Wells, may have ended.
Raducanu made a strong start, winning the first two games before Ishii levelled at 2-2. However, the 2021 US Open champion responded with four consecutive games to claim the first set. She extended her dominance in the second set, winning nine games in a row before Ishii managed to hold serve once. Raducanu then sealed the victory on her first match point.
“I’m very pleased to have got through that,” Raducanu told Sky Sports after the match. “It’s not easy to play someone in the first round who’s younger, dangerous, and in good form. I’m really proud of how I competed today.”
Looking ahead to her next match against Navarro, Raducanu acknowledged the challenge: “It’s going to be an extremely tough match. She’s probably in better form, so I’ll try to express myself and compete for every point.”
The Miami Open encounter will mark the first WTA-level meeting between the two Emmas.
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