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Emma Raducanu All Smiles After Dominant Win in Miami Open 1st Round

Emma Raducanu defeated Sayaka Ishii in straight sets at the Miami Open.

Pat Benson

Emma Raducanu defeated Sayaka Ishii in the first round of the Miami Open.
Emma Raducanu defeated Sayaka Ishii in the first round of the Miami Open. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The second day of the Miami Open featured a star-studded lineup. At noon, Emma Raducanu began her campaign with a first-round matchup against Sayaka Ishii.

Raducanu looked much more comfortable in Miami than she did in the windy conditions at Indian Wells. However, a long shadow did split the court in half, which made for some interesting moments.

In the end, it was an easy day at the office for the one-time Grand Slam champion. Raducanu defeated Ishii in straight sets: 6-2, 6-1.

Raducanu tallied six aces and one double fault to Ishii's zero aces and one double fault. Raducanu won 78% and 58% of points on her first and second serves, respectively. Ishii won just 44% and 36% on her first and second serves, respectively.

Raducanu was 5/6 on break points compared to Ishii's 1/1. Raducanu jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the second set, but Ishii stole one game to avoid being served a bagel.

Despite all of the challenges in this young season, Raducanu was all smiles in Miami. After the match, she wrote on the camera, "Keep keeping on :)."

In her on-court interview, Raducanu said, "I'm very pleased to have gotten through that. It's not an easy first round, playing someone a bit younger, dangerous, and in good form."

The British tennis star continued, "So I'm really proud of how I competed today. It hasn't been easy for me coming into this, but I think I put out a really good performance."

Since the scary scene in Dubai with a "fixated fan," Raducanu played at Indian Wells before eventually deleting her Instagram account before the start of the Miami Open.

Raducanu will face much stiffer competition in the second round, where she will play the eight-seed Emma Navarro on Friday, March 21.

Raducanu is currently the WTA World No. 60 with a record of 4-6. Ishii is the World No. 188 with a record of 10-7.

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the sneaker industry for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Previously, he has reported on the NBA, authored "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)," and interviewed some of the biggest names in the sports world. You can email him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.

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