Fresh off her first-ever Miami Open victory, Emma Raducanu bids for only the third top-10 triumph of her career against Emma Navarro in Friday's second-round contest.
The British player defeated Sayaka Ishii in 65 minutes to set up the round-two match-up with the American player, who returns to competitive action for the first time since falling to Donna Vekic in Indian Wells.
Match preview
© Imago
Raducanu's partnership with coach Vladimir Platenik might have ended after one match, but the former world No. 10 was undeterred on her return to court, dispatching Ishii 6-2, 6-1 in one hour and five minutes.
The success marked the Brit's maiden victory in the Florida-based event, where she fell to Katerina Siniakova in 2022 and Bianca Andreescu the following year, both in drawn-out three-setters.
However, the 2021 US Open champion had a significantly more comfortable outing against her Japanese teenage opponent, who was making her main-draw debut in Miami.
Having had trouble on serve at the beginning of 2025 before improving during the Middle East swing, Raducanu's 77.8% conversion on first deliveries was the 22-year-old's highest execution rate this season, which is an undoubted positive, even if sceptics will call for caution given Ishii's No. 188 rank.
Keen to build on her tournament-opening success, where she faced one break point all match — her lowest this season — the former Grand Slam champion aims to oust Navarro on home soil.
© Imago
The eighth seed enters the second leg of the Sunshine Double looking to move on from a third-round Indian Wells exit in her second appearance in Miami.
The 23-year-old American, who could not make it through qualifying in 2023, debuted in the main draw last year, beating Storm Hunter and Jasmine Paolini before falling to countrywoman Jessica Pegula in two sets.
Then a top-20 player, Navarro returns to the WTA 1000 event among the elite 10, and the two-time tour-level champion, who triumphed recently in Merida for a first 500-level success, hopes to avoid a shock exit to Raducanu.
The American enters Friday's match at 11-6 this season, and she bids for a 12th victory in 2025 to set up a third-round match with countrywoman McCartney Kessler or Linda Noskova.
Having already made deep runs to reach the quarters in Adelaide and the Australian Open before going all the way in Merida, Navarro, a one-time quarter-finalist (Indian Wells 2024) and one-time semi-finalist (Canada 2024) at 1000-level tournaments, will back herself for a positive run in Florida.
Tournament so far
Emma Navarro:
First round: Bye
Emma Raducanu:
First round: Sayaka Ishii 6-2 6-1
Head To Head
Friday's contest will be the first between Navarro and Raducanu on the WTA Tour, and the former Grand Slam champion bids for a third top-10 victory.
The British player's only victories over the elite group came in last year's grass-court swing, beating Pegula in Eastbourne in a nearly three-hour match and triumphing over Maria Sakkari at Wimbledon.
However, the former world No. 10 fell to Iga Swiatek in Australia this year, ending her two-match winning run over top-10 players, to mark her eighth straight-set loss to such opponents (2-8 overall).
We say: Navarro to win in three sets
Seven of Navarro's 17 matches this year have gone to deciders, with the American victorious in six.
Although the eighth seed might take this one in straight sets, the two-time WTA champion could be forced to a third by Raducanu, though we back the home player to triumph if the former world No. 10 claims a set.
