18-year-old US Open champion Emma Raducanu made her Indian Wells debut against Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the second round. Naturally, the two put on a great fight to book a place against Simona Halep in the third round. In the end, Emma saw an unexpected upset, losing the match 2-6, 4-6.

As for the two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep, she defeated Swedish Marta Kostyuk 7-6 (2), 6-1. But now, she will face the woman of the hour in WTA, Emma, who considers Halep to be her idol.

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Emma Raducanu vs. Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Set 1: Indian Wells 2021

Expectedly, all eyes turned to Emma Raducanu‘s match. Despite that, the teenager looked calm and collected as she held her opening service game.

However, in the third game, the pressure got to her as she struggled to hold her serve. Even her flawless shot-making slowly drifted out of rhythm. Consequently, the 27-year-old Sasnovich got the first break of the match, leading 1-3.

Following the break, Raducanu tried to maintain her focus, but clearly, she was not as confident as her opponent. Eventually, the Belarusian got a double break lead and served for the opening set.

Although the English teenager tried to keep the set alive, saving a set point, it just wasn’t enough. As a result, Sasnovich got the first set 2-6 against Raducanu.

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Raducanu vs. Sasnovich, Set 2: Indian Wells 2021

To come back in this match, Raducanu had to add more to her self-belief. But she was not finding a way to connect her mind and her shots.

Also, even though she saved three break points, she gave Sasnovich a crucial break. The question was: Can the teenager recover a set and a break to meet idol Simona Halep in Indian Wells?

Incredibly, the 18-year-old recovered her break loss and held service comfortably, bringing the set back on serve. At 2-1, Raducanu missed three break point opportunities, letting the score settle at 2-2.

But that did not stop the reigning US Open champion from coming back. Again, Raducanu won two consecutive games to put on a 4-2 lead in the second set. However, she immediately gave away the lead in the next game.

Furthermore, Sasnovich went on to level the set again at 4-4. At one point, it did seem as if Raducanu made her way back into the match, but no. At 4-4, the Belarusian got the most crucial break, serving for the place against Halep next.

Ultimately, Sasnovich closed this match comfortably, causing Raducanu an upset on her debut. She won the second round match 2-6, 4-6. Do you think she can make the same result against Halep?

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