Amanda Anisimova delivers verdict after 52-minute win over Emma Raducanu at Indian Wells – ‘It’s never easy to play against her’
By Marko Tankosic
SME News Balkan. Indian Wells, USA – Emma Raducanu’s campaign at the Indian Wells Open came to a swift and brutal end as American sixth seed Amanda Anisimova delivered a dominant performance to defeat the British star 6-1, 6-1 in just 52 minutes.
Raducanu, seeded 25th at the tournament, struggled to find any rhythm against an aggressive Anisimova, who controlled the match from the very first game. The American broke Raducanu immediately and never allowed her opponent to settle, racing through the opening set while the Brit managed to win only 11 points.
The second set followed a similar pattern. Anisimova surged into a 3-0 lead before Raducanu briefly halted the momentum by holding serve, but the former Wimbledon finalist maintained her powerful baseline play to close out the match comfortably and advance to the next round.
Speaking after the victory, Anisimova said she was pleased with the level she produced against a difficult opponent.
“I’m really happy with my performance,” Anisimova said during her press conference. “It’s never easy to play against Emma, so I was really happy with the way I was able to start playing from beginning to finish.”
The American also addressed questions about the pace of play and the shot clock during the match.
“I didn’t feel like I was rushing today. I feel like I was taking my time. It wasn’t that hot today either, so maybe we were quite ready for the next point. If anything, I like to take my time, so I try not to go over the shot clock.”
Raducanu had entered the third round after a straight-sets victory over Anastasia Zakharova in her opening match, raising hopes of a deeper run in the prestigious WTA 1000 tournament.
However, the 23-year-old has been navigating a challenging period in her career. Following her early exit at the Australian Open in January, Raducanu parted ways with coach Francisco Roig and began working temporarily with Mark Petchey.
After that loss in Melbourne, Raducanu admitted she wants to reshape aspects of her game.
“I think I want to be playing a different way,” she explained. “There’s a misalignment between how I’m playing right now and how I want to be playing, and that’s something I need to work on.”
The former US Open champion acknowledged that changes will take time but remains optimistic about her development.
“There are definitely moments where I play the way I want to play, and that’s a positive. But it’s not how I want to be consistently every day. It’s not going to fall into place straight away, but the more I work on it, the more it will become my identity on court.”
For Anisimova, the emphatic win continues her strong form after reaching the Wimbledon final in 2025. If she maintains the same level of intensity and precision, the American could emerge as one of the major contenders for the Indian Wells title.
Raducanu, meanwhile, will look to regroup ahead of the upcoming WTA events as she continues searching for consistency and a clearer direction in her evolving playing style.
