Emma Raducanu brushed aside by Amanda Anisimova at Indian Wells

The statistics made for grim reading, with Raducanu winning only two points on her first serve and hitting one winner to Anisimova’s ten. The second set offered little encouragement either as Anisimova maintained a brilliant level, drumming Raducanu into submission after two double faults in the opening service game beckoned the first of two more breaks.

“When I’m playing someone who’s at the top like that, I think they have an extra ten miles an hour on their serve than me,” Raducanu said.

“If I’m not feeling it, that gap feels more evident in terms of weight of shot, in terms of power. You just feel a little bit behind and your punches aren’t landing as much as theirs are.

“I need to obviously be aggressive when playing those players, but I think there’s still a long way to go to be doing that and I need to use my strengths and probably mix it up a bit more.”

After a tumultuous start to the season in which Raducanu parted with her ninth coach, the harsh nature of this loss will ring alarm bells. But she has had only a matter of days to work with Petchey on the practice court — it remains to be seen if their informal partnership will continue in Miami next week — and an opponent of Anisimova’s calibre represented a daunting challenge.

Although the 24-year-old did not reach the same dizzying height as Raducanu as a teenager, she was still the first player born in the 21st century to reach the semi-final of a grand-slam after beating defending champion Simona Halep at Roland Garros in 2019. Sustaining such a remarkable breakthrough did not prove simple for her either, not least because of the sudden death of her father and long-time coach a few months later. In 2023 Anisimova took a seven-month break from tennis, citing burnout and mental health, and fell out of the top 100, but her form last season was inspired, with WTA 1000 titles in Qatar and China bookending finals at Wimbledon and the US Open — even if the former ended in a brutal 6-0, 6-0 defeat by Iga Swiatek.

Raducanu’s winning record against Anisimova had given cause for optimism — the second of her two victories over the American came in Miami during Raducanu’s previous stint working with Petchey last year — but the chasm in class on Sunday night rapidly became clear. Raducanu’s tweaked serve faltered in the first game as Anisimova attacked bullishly behind her backhand, and slices attempting to disrupt that rhythm were swatted away with disregard. Anisimova consolidated the break to love with a wonderful drop shot, and then left Raducanu rooted to the spot on the baseline with another thudding backhand.

Petchey offered encouragement from the players’ box after Raducanu finally came out on top in a slugging rally at 30-30 when a second break threatened, but she was never able to establish a foothold. After Anisimova closed out the set, Raducanu sought tactical advice but the pressure was suffocating and it told in two double faults in her opening service game before yet another backhand left her motionless on the baseline.

From thereon it was a steamrolling that a shellshocked Raducanu will have been relieved to escape and head back to the drawing board before the Miami Open, where the world No24 carries the burden of plenty of ranking points to defend. If it is to be of any consolation, this was a version of Anisimova that any player in the draw would struggle to stifle.

“I have to look at what I achieved in the last nine days of practice since I arrived here, and the first match was a good one for me,” Raducanu added. “Today I could let it get me down if I wanted to, but overall I think the days have been better than not.”

Click here to read article