Emma Raducanu advanced into the next round of the 2024 Indian Wells Open after Dayana Yastremska was forced to retire.
The British player is into the third round of the WTA 1000 tournament in California, but certainly not the way she wanted to achieve that, as her opponent was forced to retire with an injury early in the match.
In the opening round of the tournament, Raducanu was able to overpower Rebeka Masarova, and she needed a good outing in Indian Wells after previously losing three of her last four matches.
Although she won't achieve that the way she wanted to, she'll likely take any win and good run that will grant her some points and a better position in the WTA Rankings.
The former US Open champion got off to a quick start in the match, breaking the Ukrainian in the opening game, and after saving a break point in game two, going into a 2-0 lead.
After Yastremska won the opening point of the third game, Raducanu went on to win the following eight rallies, and it quickly became quite obvious that something was not right with her opponent.
During the fifth game of the opening set, Yastremska called the doctor, and after a short discussion, it became quite apparent that she wouldn't be able to continue in the match.
The two shared a hug at the net, as Yastremska exited the tournament, while Raducanu will look ahead for her third-round, recording back-to-back wins for the first time in 12 months.
In the following round, she'll likely face a difficult challenge, taking on the winner of the match between the second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka and Peyton Stearns.
However, it may be a match against the reigning Australian Open champion that may show the Brit her real level and whether she can compete with the best at the moment.
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