Preview: Indian Wells: Emma Raducanu vs. Amanda Anisimova - prediction, head-to-head, tournament so far

Amanda Anisimova overcame a slow start at the BNP Paribas Open on Friday to set up a third-round match against Emma Raducanu on Sunday.

The American roared back after losing the opening set against Anna Blinkova to avoid a shock loss in the round-two contest and end her losing run at the event.

Match preview

When Anisimova lost a chaotic opening set against Blinkova, ranked No. 94 in the world, she probably feared another disappointing loss in California.

The world No. 6 had suffered exits to Leylah Fernandez (2022), Linda Noskova (2023) and Belinda Bencic (2025) ahead of this year’s tournament, and probably feared another disappointing loss.

After dropping the opening set against Blinkova that featured seven breaks of serve, Anisimova raised the bar to claim 12 of the next 13 games, including the final nine, to secure a 5-7, 6-1, 6-0 victory in one hour and 39 minutes.

That success improved the American’s 2026 record to 8-4, and the one-time Indian Wells last-16 participant needs one more win to match her best performance in the WTA 1000 tournament.

That will require getting the better of a player who has intermittently brought out the worst in her, with their first meeting at last year’s Australian Open a perfect example.

In that match, Raducanu simply took advantage of the American player’s tendency to be loose in her execution, with the Brit claiming that win Down Under due to the 24-year-old’s wayward ball-striking.

It will be interesting, though, to see if Raducanu faces ‘Bad Amanda’ on Sunday, as the British star seeks back-to-back wins for the first time since reaching the Transylvania Open last month.

The 2021 US Open champion was contesting in her first WTA final since winning the Major in New York, but was powerless to resist an in-form Sorana Cirstea, who did not drop a set en route to the crown.

Two more tour-level losses followed that championship match defeat, meaning that the British star was facing a fourth consecutive setback when she played Anastasia Zakharova on Friday.

However, the former world No. 10 dropped just four games in less than 90 minutes on court for a 6-1, 6-3 victory.

That triumph ended the 23-year-old’s two-match losing streak at Tennis Paradise — where Aryna Sabalenka and Moyuka Uchijima beat her — and she now bids to improve her 7-6 performance this season by claiming another third tour-level victory against Anisimova.

Tournament so far

Emma Raducanu:

First round: Bye

Second round: vs. Anastasia Zakharova 6-1 6-3

Amanda Anisimova:

First round: Bye

Second round: vs. Anna Blinkova 5-7 6-1 6-0

Head To Head

Canadian Open (2025) - Round of 32: Anisimova 6-2 6-1

Miami Open (2025) - Round of 16: Raducanu 6-1 6-3

Australian Open (2025) - Second round: Raducanu 6-3 7-5

Raducanu leads Anisimova 2-1 in their head-to-head, with all three previous meetings coming on hard courts.

The world No. 24 followed her two-set victory over the American Down Under by beating the four-time WTA champion again in Miami.

However, the 24-year-old dropped only three games in their most recent meeting in Montreal to snap her losing streak in this matchup, and aims for another victory over the British star.

We say: Anisimova to win in two sets

Previous meetings may have favoured Raducanu, but the Brit is unlikely to play an American opponent in generous mood on Sunday.

The 2021 US Open champion has lost nine consecutive matches against top-10 opponents, including one to Anisimova in Montreal, and is expected to fall to another defeat against one of the elite players.