There are few experiences as valuable for a tennis player than staring down one of the best players in the world and seeing exactly how their game measures up. For Emma Raducanu, that opportunity arose on Monday afternoon against Aryna Sabalenka, now a multiple grand slam champion and desperate for more.
Strapped into the hot seat against the second-ranked player in full flow, Raducanu gave a strong account of both her quality and resilience in two competitive, high-quality sets before Sabalenka’s immense weight of shot and confidence in the decisive points guided her to the fourth round at Indian Wells with a 6-3, 7-5 win.
