The 20-year-old British player dropped to a 4-1 deficit in the opening set but recovered by controlling points with her forehand and forcing Linette farther out onto the court.
On a warm and windy day in the Southern California desert, she clinched the victory by sending a forehand winner down the line to raise the crowd to their feet.
Raducanu in Indian Wells
The victory was Raducanu’s first back-to-back triumph since September, and it is encouraging evidence that she might be overcoming the various health problems that have plagued her lately.
Her 2022 season was cut short by a wrist ailment that flared up in the weeks leading up to the Australian Open in January, tonsillitis that forced her to withdraw from the Austin Open last week, and an ankle problem that required treatment from a physiotherapist on Saturday.
- The 20-year-old British player dropped to a 4-1 deficit in the opening set.
- Raducanu’s victory in September is encouraging one to overcome various health problems.
- Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil or Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic will be her next opponent.
According to Raducanu, “I’d say I feel more optimistic about my game today.” I didn’t fully understand what was going on the first day.
The weather outside today was fairly pleasant, especially considering the conditions. I did well to persevere despite the strong wind. Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil or Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic will be her next opponent.
In other matches, Belarus’s two-time champion Victoria Azarenka was defeated by the Czech Republic’s Karolina Muchova, 7-6(1), 6-3, in her tournament debut, and the Czech Republic’s Marketa Vondrousova defeated fellow countrywoman and 28th-seeded Marie Bouzkova, 6-1, 6-1.
On the men’s side, Canadian Felix Auger Aliassime, the eighth seed, defeated Spaniard Pedro Martinez with a score of 7-6(5) 6-4, while Jack Draper defeated American Dan Evans, the 24th seed, with a score of 6-4 6-2. Italian Jannik Sinner, the 11th seed, defeated Frenchman Richard Gasquet with a score of 6-3 7-6(2).
