Emma Raducanu produced one of her most confident performances of 2025 as she started her Miami Open campaign with a much-needed win on Thursday.
World No 60 Raducanu was a significant favourite on paper against world No 188 Sayaka Ishii, who had received a wildcard into the main draw.
And the Brit matched expectations in an impressive display, losing serve just once across a confident 6-2, 6-1 victory inside the Hard Rock Stadium.
It is just a fourth win of 2025 for the 22-year-old, who was beaten in the opening round of Indian Wells two weeks ago, and marks her first victory since her stalking ordeal at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
It is also Raducanu’s first-ever main draw match win in Miami, having lost her opening match in both 2022 and 2023.
“I’m very pleased to have got through that,” said Raducanu in her on-court interview.
“It’s not an easy first round, playing someone a bit younger and dangerous, and in good form, so I’m really proud of how I competed today.
“It hasn’t been easy for me coming into this but I think I put out a really good performance.
“I haven’t won a match here yet actually in my professional career [until now] but I have great memories from playing junior Orange Bowl – I did pretty well two times.
“It’s a little bit different now and I’m just happy to have scored a win in the professional tournament too.”
Due to players provisionally falling in the WTA Live Rankings, Raducanu was already projected to move up two spots to world No 58 in the rankings.
However, victory over Ishii has provisionally moved her back to world No 55 as things stand, level on points with projected world No 56 Polina Kudermetova.
A second-round win could potentially move her back to world No 53 and in touching distance of a return to the world’s top 50.
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But that is by no means a given for the former world No 10, who now faces eighth seed – and current No 10 – Emma Navarro in the next round.
It will be Navarro’s first match of the tournament, with all seeds receiving an opening-round bye at the WTA 1000 event, and it will be the first career meeting between the two.
Raducanu added: “It’s going to be an extremely challenging match.
“I think it’s a match where she’s probably in better form, so I think I can just go out and try and express myself, compete for every point.
“She’s a great person. I think on the tour, it’s one of those people you would probably warm to, and say hi – it’s going to be a double Emma!”
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