Indian Wells 2021: Emma Raducanu vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich preview, head-to-head & prediction | BNP Paribas Open
Match details
Fixture: (17) Emma Raducanu vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich
Date: 8 October 2021
Tournament: BNP Paribas Open
Round: Second round (Round of 64)
Venue: Indian Wells, USA
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Hardcourt
Prize money: $8,761,725
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Emma Raducanu vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich preview
Teenage sensation Emma Raducanu will take on Belarus' Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the second round of the 2021 BNP Paribas Open on Friday. Sasnovich eased past Maria Camila Osorio Serrano 6-0, 6-4 in her opener to set up the meeting with Raducanu, who received a bye in the first round.
Seeded 17th in Indian Wells, Raducanu rose to fame with her historic triumph at the US Open last month. She became the first qualifier ever to lift a Grand Slam trophy and the first British woman to win a Major in 44 years, and her feat propelled her to a career-high ranking of No. 22.
The 18-year-old is making just her third WTA main draw appearance this week in Indian Wells. Interestingly, Raducanu is yet to win a tour-level match; all her main-draw victories have come at the Grand Slam level.
The Brit will be keen to kickstart her campaign in the Californian city with a win, and eventually translate that into a deep run.
Her second-round opponent, Aliaksandra Sasnovich, has had decent results this season. The Belarusian reached the quarterfinals in Saint-Malo and Belgrade, before making the last eight in Cleveland.
Although Sasnovich has a career-high ranking of No. 30, right now she is down to No.100 in the world.
The 27-year-old's best performance at Indian Wells came about in 2018, when she reached the third round. She will be hoping to better that record this week and cause an upset over the 17th seed on Friday.
Emma Raducanu vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between Emma Raducanu and Aliaksandra Sasnovich, so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.
Emma Raducanu vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich prediction
Emma Raducanu and Aliaksandra Sasnovich are both aggressive baseliners with quick on-court movement. But Sasnovich is prone to leaking unforced errors unlike the Brit, who is profient at measuring her attack by being selective in the exchanges.
Raducanu can be expected to be the dominant player on serve. She has the ability to rack up a high amount of aces and to consistently get the first serve in. During her run at the New York Major, the 18-year-old got broken just seven times in as many main-draw matches.
If Raducanu can serve well and also remain consistent with her return, she should be able to brush off the pressure of expectations and get the win.
Prediction: Emma Raducanu to win in straight sets.