BNP Paribas Open Match Preview
Second up in Stadium 1 is another match between two players who are close in ranking—Uchijima is 52, Raducanu 55. But those numbers don’t reveal much about the direction these two women are taking. Raducanu, the younger of the two at 22, had a meteoric rise to Grand Slam fame four years ago in New York, but has been treading injury-plagued waters ever since. Uchijima, while she is older at 23, appears to be coming into her own in 2025. She nearly beat Mirra Andreeva at the Australian Open, she upset Jelena Ostapenko in Dubai, and her ranking of 52 is a career high.
Still, Raducanu won their only meeting, three years ago, and she played some credible tennis in Dubai, beating Maria Sakkari and losing a close two-setter to Karolina Muchova. Raducanu likes a stage; if she wins this match, she’ll get a big one against Coco Gauff. Winner: Raducanu—Steve Tignor
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