British No 1 Emma Raducanu won the first set on a tiebreak and served for the match before suffering a 7-6 4-6 5-7 defeat in her round-of-32 tie against Croatia's Petra Martic; Harriet Dart is set to move into the top 100 for the first time after beating Kaia Kanepi
Monday 14 March 2022 11:21, UK
Emma Raducanu has been knocked out of Indian Wells after losing her round-of-32 tie in three sets to Croatia's Petra Martic.
The British No 1, who was competing at the tournament for the first time, appeared to be on track for the last 16 after winning the opening set on a tiebreak, 7-3.
Martic hit back in the second set, taking it 6-4 to draw level and then went on to break her opponent's serve at the start of the decider.
Raducanu appeared to regain control and served for the match at 5-4 - only for the Croatian to win three games in a row and seal the 11th seed's fate.
Raducanu's first loss of serve came as early as the third game of the match, but she recovered to draw level at 3-3 and went on to triumph in the eventual tiebreak.
It looked as though that would provide the platform for the US Open champion to seize control, particularly when she broke Martic's serve early in the second set.
But Raducanu then surrendered two successive service games and the contest seemed to be tilting back in favour of the Croatian as she took an early lead in the third.
Martic was unable to maintain that advantage, however, and Raducanu's break to make it 5-4 gave her the opportunity to serve for the match.
Yet the opportunity was squandered - and Martic went on to win the first of two match points on her opponent's serve, wrapping up a 7-5 set victory and a meeting with world No 28 Liudmila Samsonova in the next round.
Raducanu, meanwhile, must attempt to put her patchy form behind her as she prepares to compete in the Miami Open later this month.
Harriet Dart is set to move into the top 100 in the world for the first time in her career after beating Estonia's Kaia Kanepi in straight sets to move past the third round at Indian Wells.
The qualifier followed up her victory over world No 18 Elina Svitolina by winning 7-6 6-3 to set up a round of 16 clash against American No 25 seed Madison Keys.
Her progress means she is currently due to rise from No 122 in the world to No 99, which could yet improve further should her success in the tournament continue.
"My ranking might not show where my level is, but I've always believed my level has been there," said the Brit after her latest win.
"I put in the work day in, day out, and finally to be able to put a run like this together, it's not by chance.
"I always have nothing to lose - especially at these events. It's kind of a bonus to be able to play another match in this amazing place. It's quite surreal. I'm enjoying every minute of it."
Keys praised her upcoming opponent as she braces for the best version of Dart in light of her recent form.
"At this point she's won almost a tournament worth of matches," said Keys. "I think she's going to be really confident. Just doing whatever she can to win, has no pressure.
"I think she's a really great player. She's a really good ball-striker. She moves well. I think this court suits her game fairly well. Luckily I sent my coach out to watch her match today so he can give me a game plan."
