Emma Raducanu’s comeback crashed hard at Indian Wells, where she posted her worst-ever result, falling to Moyuka Uchijima in the first round. It was her debut under new trial coach Vlado Platenik, but the Slovakian’s guidance couldn’t stop a 6-3, 6-2 stumble in the California desert.
The British No. 2, back after a stalker rattled her at Dubai last month—leaving her “distraught”—grabbed an early break but crumbled, dropping her Indian Wells opener for the first time. She’d taken a break, beefed up security, and couldn’t resist her “favourite tournament,” yet still hit the wall.
Raducanu nabbed a 2-0 lead off Uchijima, only to nosedive—losing four straight games. She clawed back on serve, but No. 52 Uchijima snatched the set. Sky Sports’ Naomi Broady spotted a silver lining: “New coach, but Raducanu’s already vibing with Platenik—looking up, soaking in feedback. Solid start there.”
Set two? Uchijima broke early, weathered a tight game, and kept Raducanu scrambling. A marathon game dangled three break-back chances for the Brit—she whiffed them all. Gutted, Raducanu coughed up three break points next, double-faulting to hand Uchijima the match on a platter.
The Japanese sealed it, ousting Raducanu and booking a clash with No. 3 seed Coco Gauff. After never bowing out this early at Indian Wells—her prior low was a 2021 round-two loss post-US Open—the 22-year-old’s now eyeing Miami. Will Platenik stick around after this flop? TBD.
