Canada’s Bianca Andreescu on Wednesday won a first-round battle of former US Open champions, defeating Britain’s Emma Raducanu 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 to advance to the second round of the Miami Open.
There was further bad news for Britain, with two-time Miami winner Andy Murray crashing out in the first round after a 6-4, 7-5 loss to Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic.
Andreescu and Raducanu, both born near Toronto and both of whom won the US Open as teenagers, battled for two-and-a-half hours in an entertaining opening to the WTA and ATP combined tournament’s main draw.
Photo: AP
Andreescu, ranked 31st in the world, struck the ball with confidence and freedom as she dominated the first set, but Raducanu regrouped and fought back in the second.
The 2021 US Open winner went 5-3 up in the set after an epic game that she secured with her seventh break point and went on to force a third set.
However, Andreescu’s power proved to be too much for the tiring Raducanu, who had shown promising signs of an upturn in form by reaching the last 16 at Indian Wells.
Photo: AFP
“I thought it was a very good match from both sides. I think Emma played really well. I think the key for me was just sticking with it, fighting as much as I could,” said Andreescu, who struck seven aces.
The Canadian has a tough test in the next round, where she faces seventh seed Maria Sakkari of Greece.
For the 20-year-old Raducanu, there was yet another injury concern with her reporting pain with her wrist.
Photo: AFP
“It’s something I’ve been managing for some time. I just need to review after this tournament really and figure out what my next steps are,” she said, adding that she might get a fresh pair of eyes to look at the problem.
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland on Wednesday withdrew from the tournament citing a rib injury.
Murray has made a reasonably promising start to the year, reaching the final in Doha, but he was well below par as he crashed out to 76th-ranked, 32-year-old Lajovic.
The Serb took his chances, winning 72 percent of second-serve points and saved two of the three break points he faced, while converting all three opportunities on Murray’s serve.
At 5-4 down in the second set, Murray showed his grit to break Lajovic and raise hopes of a comeback, but he was quickly broken back as he paid the price for some mistimed strokes.
“Some days you don’t hit the ball your best, but my movement [also] wasn’t quite there,” said Murray, who added that he did not see such a setback on the horizon.
“I’ve been practicing pretty well. It’s a very different court, very bouncy and much faster than last week [in Indian Wells], very different to the practice courts and ... I just struggled a bit,” he said.
Emilio Nava defeated John Isner in an all-American clash, the Californian triumphing 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-4) playing positive, attacking tennis throughout.
American Brandon Nakashima delighted the home crowd with his big-hitting approach, delivering a 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 win against German Oscar Otte.
Italian Fabio Fognini crashed out to Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff, hurling his racket as he lost 6-4, 7-5, 6-4.
Italian Camila Giorgi needed 3 hours, 32 minutes to defeat Estonian Kaia Kanepi 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/4), tying for the longest WTA main-draw match of the season.
Shelby Rogers beat fellow American Sloane Stephens 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, eliminating the last US woman to win in Miami, in 2018.
Taiwanese sisters Latisha Chan and Chan Hao-ching are to play their first-round match in the women’s doubles tomorrow.
They face the Netherlands’ Demi Schuurs and Desirae Krawczyk of the US in the round-of-32.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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