Emma Raducanu gives 'great show' to progress at Indian Wells with Anastasia Zakharova win but British No. 1 admits she is not 'aiming for the stars'

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Emma Raducanu cruised through to the third round at Indian Wells with a straight-sets victory over qualifier Anastasia Zakharova. Victory earned her a shot at Anna Blinkova or Amanda Anisimova next and the British No. 1 was pleased to give a "great show of my game" in California. However, she admitted she is not "aiming for the stars" at the WTA 1000 event after a mixed start to 2026.

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Emma Raducanu was pleased to give "a great show" in her opening Indian Wells win over Anastasia Zakharova, but tempered expectations by saying she is "not necessarily aiming for the stars".

The British No. 1 claimed a 6-1 6-3 victory over qualifier Zakharova in 82 minutes to make a confident start to her campaign at the WTA 1000 event.

Raducanu’s status as 25th seed earned her a bye to the second round and next she will face Anna Blinkova or sixth seed Amanda Anisimova, who was last year’s runner-up at the US Open and Wimbledon.

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"That was a great show of my game today, I think I played really well," Raducanu told Sky Sports.

"I don't think it's perfect yet, but I think it's a lot better from where I was feeling.

"I'm not necessarily aiming for the stars right now. I think I just want to be doing my game better and better.

"I think whatever I put on the court, if I apply myself like I did today, I think I'll be proud of myself, and I think I'll be in a good place."

Raducanu hit three aces and converted five of her eight break points to get off to a good start in California, where she is working with Mark Petchey again after splitting with Francisco Roig in January.

She got off to a strong start, reeling off three straight games before Zakharova claimed what proved to be her only game of the opening set.

The second was more competitive, with Raducanu going a double break up before Zakharova broke back as the Brit tried to serve out the match.

Raducanu responded immediately with a break of her own to seal victory as she looks to replicate her run to the quarter-finals last year.

"It's not easy, I hadn't played a match here, my opponent played three, so you always know about that dynamic going in," she said of facing the Russian qualifier.

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"But I was really pleased with the prep I'd done for the past week. It felt like my game was headed in a better direction so for me to see that proof on the match court, it was really rewarding and I'm just really happy with it."

Raducanu’s 2026 season so far has been a mixed bag, with a second-round exit at the Australian Open to Anastasia Potapova followed by a run to the Transylvania Open final, where she lost to Sorana Cirstea.

Opening-round exits at the Qatar Open and Dubai Tennis Championships provided the backdrop to Raducanu arriving in the United States for the Sunshine Swing.

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