Emma Raducanu found inspiration in Daniil Medvedev to finish off a very grueling and tight affair against Beatriz Haddad Maia in Indian Wells.
Medvedev played last night and lost the second set but rallied to win in three, and Raducanu found his approach in that final set quite an inspiration.
Just letting go and going for the shots worked out for both of them. Raducanu entered the match relaxed with that sort of approach but got a bit nervous in the second set, finding her footing again in the third.
"Really go for it. But you see it happen a lot in tennis. Like, I saw it last night with Medvedev. Yeah, I guess took maybe some inspiration from him doing that. Yeah, I feel like it is quite common."
The level she's been producing is a very good one, and she talked about that after the match, striking a somewhat surprised tone. Raducanu didn't play much tennis leading up to this due to an illness and wrist issues, but she managed to record a win, which was important.
"I think I played a really high level at some points of the match. I think that I played extremely well in the first set and in the third set, as well. There were some really good points and moments. I think overall the level increased in the third, and it was a battle from both of us. Yeah, I'm pretty pleased with just being on the match court."
The second set wasn't that good by Raducanu, but she managed to find her footing again in the third. Talking about that, she just explained it as a reset. Being in essentially a win-or-go-home situation with only one set made it clear for her.
"I started off really strongly, and a small dip in intensity or focus can just lead to a 6-2 set, as you saw. Yeah, you just have to reset in the third, and it's really just a shootout, and it's almost easier to just think, okay, like one set, everything you've got."