18-year-old US Open champion Emma Raducanu faced an upset in her first-ever match in WTA 1000 Indian Wells tournament. She lost against 27-year-old Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich in straight sets 2-6, 4-6. However, instead of feeling dejected because of the loss, the teenager took it as a learning lesson.

Unquestionably, there were a lot of expectations from the Great Britain star. But playing for the first time after her US Open success, Raducanu couldn’t manage to pull off a similar feat in the desert. Nevertheless, she stayed in every single game even though she failed to maintain a lead against Sasnovich.

What’s more, the scoreline does not reveal the chances the teenager lost in the match. But she has accepted the loss graciously and is looking forward to improving as she moves ahead.

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Emma Raducanu on her Indian Wells 2021 R2 loss

First and foremost, Emma Raducanu acknowledged her inexperience on the WTA Tour. Indeed, even though she did win the US Open title, every new day and tournament in tennis is a different challenge.

“I’m still very, very new to the tour. Experience just comes from playing week in, week out and experiencing all these different things,” Raducanu said.

What’s interesting is that the 18-year-old saw the loss as a crucial step in her growth. Raducanu also hopes that she will now have more experience in the coming tournaments on the WTA Tour.

“Kind of glad what happened today happened so I can learn, take it as a lesson, so going forward, I’ll have more experienced banked,” Raducanu concluded.

Unfortunately, Raducanu also missed out on a dream matchup in the next round. Now, it is Sasnovich who will play two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep in the third round.

Read More: Emma Raducanu Attains an “English Tennis Milestone” Following Glory at US Open 2021

What’s next for Raducanu after the Indian Wells 2021 loss?

After the loss, Raducanu might also have lost the opportunity to qualify for the year-ending WTA Finals. However, she could still try to find a way and make it into the Top 8 of the year.

Hopefully, learning from this match, the 18-year-old will play more confidently in the upcoming tournaments. Nonetheless, Raducanu is one of the most promising future champions of the WTA.

Do you think Raducanu will make a comeback in the next tournament in 2021?

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