Britain’s Emma Raducanu was overpowered by sixth seed Amanda Anisimova at Indian Wells, losing 6-1 6-1 in a third-round encounter lasting only 52 minutes.
In an ominous sign of the struggle to come, Raducanu was broken in the opening game.
It quickly became apparent the 25th seed had no answer to the American’s determined approach, and the first set ran away from her with just 11 points won.
The second immediately took on a similar pattern with Raducanu finding herself three games behind before managing to hold her serve.
Having enlisted Mark Petchey as a temporary coach after parting with Francisco Roig in January, Raducanu last week said she had been hoping to rediscover her “natural way of playing” in an attempt to build towards the form that saw her claim the 2021 US Open.
But there was to be no reprieve, as Anisimova impressively took a further three games to progress.
The performance marked a stark contrast to Raducanu’s second-round match, a comprehensive 6-1 6-3 victory over Russian Anastasia Zakharova.
Speaking on court afterwards, Anisimova said she had been “just trying to go out there and have fun” and “be fearless”.
Sabalenka ‘super-focused’
Earlier on Sunday, world number one Aryna Sabalenka hit 23 winners as she beat Jaqueline Cristian to move into the fourth round.
The Belarusian, 27, had been on track to take the opening set but double faulted as she looked to serve it out.
A swift break back allowed the four-time Grand Slam champion to take it 6-4, though, and she followed that by winning the second set 6-1 to seal victory.
“I knew that she was not going to give up easily,” Sabalenka said of Romanian Cristian, the world number 35.
“That’s why I was super-focused, especially on my serve. I didn’t want to give her much opportunity so [I was] super-happy with the serving, with the game and of course with the win.”
She will next face 16th-seeded Naomi Osaka of Japan, who beat Colombian Camila Osorio 6-1 3-6 6-1.
Osaka, another four-time Grand Slam champion, is playing her first tournament since withdrawing before her Australian Open third-round match in January with an abdominal injury.
Speaking to Sky Sports afterwards, the 28-year-old said she had reset her “attitude and my shot selection” before the deciding set, adding she was “pretty excited” about playing Sabalenka next.
Other third-round match-ups in California include fourth-ranked Coco Gauff, of the US, against rising Philippines player Alexandra Eala.
In the men’s competition, fourth-seeded German Alexander Zverev was taken to three sets but held off American Brandon Nakashima 7-6 (7/2) 5-7 6-4.
World number two Jannik Sinner beat Canadian Denis Shapovalov 6-3 6-2.
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