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Emma Raducanu vs Sayaka Ishii LIVE: Miami Open result and reaction
Britain’s No 2 put in a clean, composed display in Miami to roll into the second round
Emma Raducanu enjoyed a dream start to her Miami Open with a composed 6-2, 6-1 win over Japanese wildcard Sayaka Ishii.
The British No 2 lost in the first round of Indian Wells earlier this month in her first match since a traumatic incident dealing with a stalker at a tournament in Dubai, who had followed her to three events across the Asian hard-court swing.
She fell to a 6-3, 6-2 loss to Moyuka Uchijima and said she would aim to “improve everything” ahead of her appearance in Miami, which forms the second half of the ‘Sunshine Double’ of combined ATP and WTA 1000 tournaments along with Indian Wells.
And improve everything she did, producing a brilliant serving performance and staying firmly in control of the match despite a wobble against Ishii in the early stages of the first set. Ishii, who is ranked 188th in the world, was let down by a litany of unforced errors and struggled to find consistency, although her powerful ball-striking occasionally troubled Raducanu in the first set.
The Brit moved up a gear however and steamrolled through the second to set up a stern second-round test against American 10th seed Emma Navarro.
Relive all the action with The Independent’s liveblog:
*Emma Raducanu 1-0 Sayaka Ishii
We get underway with a couple of short, sharp rallies, with Ishii winning the first point but Raducanu not looking too troubled on serve.
A great serve out wide follows, with Ishii forced too far out wide to make the next ball.
Ishii sends a second serve return long, and at 40-15 up Raducanu lands a smart first serve which her wildcard opponent can only fire wide. Raducanu is on the board.
Emma Raducanu vs Sayaka Ishii
The players are warming up as we get ready to start. Ishii won the toss and elected to receive.
Conditions look good so far: it’s bright and sunny and the wind shouldn’t be too much of a factor, unlike in Indian Wells.
'I know how much he deserves it' - Raducanu praises Draper for first ATP 1000 title
Speaking to Sky Sports earlier in the week, Raducanu suggested that the conditions in Miami should suit her better than in Indian Wells, where she exited in the first round.
“I struggled in Indian Wells, it was very windy the day I played, so I found it hard to hit clean,” she said.
“I’ve been practicing in the wind a bit more. I’ve just been here, adapting to the conditions. All of us have to deal with the same thing, I think certain periods of the year suit certain players better than others [because of the conditions]. It’s hard with the balls, especially for wrists and shoulders, but we can’t really do anything about it.”
She also had a word to say about Jack Draper, who just picked up the biggest title of his career so far in Indian Wells.
“I’m so happy for him, we grew up together and I know how much work he’s put in and how much he deserves it.”
Emma Raducanu vs Sayaka Ishii
The players are walking out into the Hard Rock Stadium.
It’s the first match of the day on the main stadium court, and there’s a big smile on the face of Emma Raducanu as she takes in a smattering of applause from a very sparse crowd. It should fill up as the match progresses.
Today's match
Now ranked 60th in the world, Raducanu - who has never won a main-draw match in Miami - will take on Japanese wildcard Sayaka Ishii for a place in the second round.
The 19-year-old is ranked 188th and only made her main-draw debut on the WTA Tour last summer. She largely competes on the second-tier ITF circuit, with her best result at WTA level coming at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo last October, where she reached the quarter-finals but retired.
Whoever wins today’s encounter will meet American eighth seed and world No 8 Emma Navarro in the second round.
Emma Raducanu moves on from Dubai incident but looks to improve ‘everything’ in her game
Emma Raducanu said she “did not feel anxious” on the court as she returned to action for the first time since dealing with a stalker at the Dubai Open last month.
The 22-year-old was beaten in straight sets by Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima in the first round of Indian Wells amid extra security in California.
The former US Open champion reported unwanted attention from a “fixated” man last month in Dubai, who then turned up on court during her match against Karolina Muchova.
Raducanu has looked to move on from the incident and said will look to improve “everything” about her game following a 6-3 6-2 defeat to Uchijima in blustery conditions.
Emma Raducanu moves on from Dubai incident but looks to improve ‘everything’
More British success in Miami?
The Miami Open is the second half of the prestigious ‘Sunshine Double’, a pair of hard-court tournaments which are combined ATP Masters and WTA 1000 events.
The first, held in Indian Wells, California, finished on Sunday and was won by none other than British No 1 Jack Draper, while teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva continued her stunning rise to the top with victory in the women’s event.
Draper will be in action this week, eyeing the rare feat of winning the two tournaments back-to-back, while Brits Cam Norrie, Katie Boulter, and Emma Raducanu are all in the main draw. Jacob Fearnley and Billy Harris both made it through two rounds of qualifying to join them.
Jack Draper eyes rare ‘Sunshine Double’ in Miami but familiar challenge awaits
How to watch
Raducanu v Ishii is the first match on today’s schedule for the Hard Rock Stadium court, with play starting around 4pm UK time.
The tournament is being shown live on Sky Sports Tennis. If you’re not a Sky customer, you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.
Good afternoon
Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of this first-round match at the Miami Open.
Emma Raducanu is scheduled first on the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, with play to start at 4pm UK time, against Japanese wildcard Sayaka Ishii.
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