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Emma Raducanu had a heartwarming moment with a young fan following her Indian Wells second-round win as the Briton made her best effort to find a signed ball she inadvertently struck into the fence and gift it to one of her young fans.
On Saturday, former world No. 10 Raducanu was 4-0 up on Dayana Yastremska when the Ukrainian retired from the match seemingly due to stomach issues.
After spending less than 20 minutes on the court before sealing an Indian Wells third-round ticket, Raducanu was signing balls and sending them into the stands. At one moment, Raducanu hit the ball too weak, and instead of finishing in the stands, it got lost behind the fence. Raducanu instantly started searching for the ball, with one person navigating her where to search.
Then, the ball just popped out and that’s when the 21-year-old Briton grabbed it and this time successfully threw it to a young fan.
The crowd loved the moment and recognized the 2021 US Open champion’s efforts with applause.
Emma Raducanu tried to launch some signed balls into the stands.
It didn’t go as planned 😂
One got stuck behind the fence but she ends up finding it and gives it to a young fan ❤️ pic.twitter.com/VTFtrlQ9ni
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) March 9, 2024
Raducanu spent just 21 minutes on the court before Yastremska retired
After starting the match with a break, Raducanu also saved a break point en route to confirming her break and opening an early 2-0 lead. In the third game, Raducanu got her second break before routinely serving out the following game for a comfortable 4-0 lead.
Yastremska, who seemingly dealt with stomach issues, had a physio visit her before calling it quits on the match after just 21 minutes of play.
For Raducanu – who is playing her fifth tournament since kicking off her post-surgery comeback – this is the first time this season that she has made it past the opening two rounds at a tournament. Later in the day, Raducanu will learn her third-round opponent after No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka and Peyton Stearns finish their second-round match.
Considering that Sabalenka is the huge favorite to beat Stearns, Raducanu’s next opponent will likely be the two-time Grand Slam champion.
