Emma Raducanu is all set to begin a trial period with her new coach Vladimir Platenik at the Indian Wells. She has won just one match since the departure of her previous coach, Nick Cavaday. Raducanu’s performance has been put under some real scrutiny in the last few months. She was also criticized by the fans recently for her wildcard entries in some of her previous tournaments this year. However, amidst all of these, she is now all set to start her campaign at the BNP Paribas Open against the Japanese player Moyuka Uchijima. Can Raducanu make a winning start to her campaign at the Indian Wells?
Emma Raducanu vs Moyuka Uchijima: Preview
Emma Raducanu has had a horrid start to her season this year. Apart from reaching the third round of AO, she has made early exits from each of her tournaments this season. She’ll be entering this contest following her R32 loss to Karolina Muchova (CZE) at the Dubai Tennis Championships. Raducanu was defeated by 6(6)-7,4-6 in that match. Can she make a strong turnaround?
Moyuka Uchijima also had a similar poor start to her season this year. She will be entering this match following her 6-4,4-6,0-6 defeat to Russia’s Anna Blinkova in the R32 of the ATX Open.
Raducanu vs Uchijima: Head-to-Head
Emma Raducanu and Moyuka Uchijima have crossed paths only once in their career so far. Currently, the Brit leads the H2H record by a 1-0 margin.
2022 Seoul R32: Raducanu 6-2,6-4.
Prediction: Raducanu will win this match in straight sets
Emma Raducanu will start this match as a clear favorite. Reason? Well, Raducanu is a former world number 10, and she has vast experience in playing against some of the tougher opponents in her career. On top of that, we must not forget that she defeated the former world number 3, Maria Sakkari, in straight sets in her previous tournament. Raducanu (55) currently has a win-loss record of 3-5, but on the other hand, Moyuka Uchijima (52) has a win-loss record of 7-9.
Now, if we take a glimpse at their playing styles, Uchijima is known for her aggressive style of play and power groundstrokes. She has a strong forehand, and her ability to dictate points from the baseline makes her a real threat in the women’s Tour. Apart from that, Uchijima also has a powerful serve in her armory.
Her opponent, Emma Raducanu, also has an aggressive style of play. She has a strong two-handed backhand, and she can also hit her one-handed backhand with a slice to break up the pace of the rallies and disrupt the rhythm of her opponent. Apart from that, Raducanu also has a strong forehand and good court coverage ability. Moyuka Uchijima also needs to be a bit watchful of Raducanu’s incredible drop shots. Overall, considering all these aspects in her game, I feel Raducanu has more weapons to win this battle than the Japanese. So, I’m picking the Brit in this match.
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