Gauff Retires From Indian Wells Match With Arm Injury, Raducanu Outclassed

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Emma Raducanu and Coco Gauff both left the Indian Wells Open earlier than expected, while Naomi Osaka, Amanda Anisimova, Alexandra Eala, Victoria Mboko and Jasmine Paolini advanced. Anisimova dominated Raducanu 6-1 6-1, Gauff retired injured against Eala, and Osaka set up a high-profile meeting with Aryna Sabalenka after a three-set victory.

Osaka defeated Camila Osorio 6-1 3-6 6-1, recovering after a dip in the second set to maintain control in the decider. Paolini edged Ajla Tomljanovic 7-5 5-7 6-1, while Mboko progressed past Anna Kalinskaya. Those results shaped a new-look women’s draw at Indian Wells, with several established names leaving early.

Raducanu collected only 21 points during a one-sided contest against Anisimova, last year’s Wimbledon and US Open runner-up. The match lasted just 52 minutes, with Anisimova dominating on serve and return. "When I'm playing someone who's at the top like that, I think they have an extra 10 miles an hour on their serve than me," said Raducanu.

Raducanu explained how the gap in power felt clear on court. "If I'm not feeling it, that gap feels more evident in terms of weight of shot, in terms of power. You just feel a little bit behind and your punches aren't landing as much as theirs are. I need to obviously be aggressive when playing those players, but I think there's still a long way to go to be doing that and I need to use my strengths and probably mix it up a bit more."

Anisimova, who will meet Mboko in the next round, achieved a personal best in terms of games lost against a grand slam champion. The United States player allowed only two games. That improved on previous wins where Anisimova conceded three games against Raducanu in Montreal and Gauff in Beijing, both recorded in 2025.

Gauff’s match against Eala ended in distressing circumstances for the world star. Gauff trailed 6-2 2-0 when an arm issue forced retirement. "It felt like a firework was going off inside of my arm, and then my whole arm felt like it was on fire," said the two-time major champion, who was unable to continue.

Gauff described how the pain worsened as play went on. "As the match played, it got progressively worse, even on shots that I wasn't even using my left arm for." This was only the second retirement of Gauff’s career at WTA level, after withdrawing in Cincinnati in 2022 against Marie Bouzkova due to another issue.

Eala’s progress carried wider significance for tennis in the Philippines. By moving into the last 16, Eala became the first Filipino player to reach that stage at Indian Wells since the tournament began. The achievement came against one of the sport’s leading names, adding context to the scoreline and the moment.

The key women’s matches at Indian Wells produced clear scorelines and several storylines, from Raducanu’s heavy defeat and Anisimova’s efficiency to Gauff’s injury and Eala’s breakthrough. With Osaka set to face Sabalenka and Mboko preparing for Anisimova, the next rounds follow a day that reshaped the event’s singles picture.