Emma Raducanu’s telling six-word quip after strong Indian Wells start | Tennis | Sport

When asked how she felt about her performance, she tried to keep her feet on the ground by insisting she is “not necessarily aiming for the stars” and getting too excited. In full, she said: “That was a great show of my game today, I think I played really well.

“I don’t think it’s perfect yet, but I think it’s a lot better from where I was feeling. I’m not necessarily aiming for the stars right now. I think I just want to be doing my game better and better.

“I think whatever I put on the court, if I apply myself like I did today, I think I’ll be proud of myself, and I think I’ll be in a good place.”

She also admitted she had not been feeling at her best for the last four weeks, telling the BBC: “I think my game was in a really good place. I hadn’t necessarily felt so good for the last month, so I’m really pleased with the work we did for the last week and just for it to transfer on the match court like that.

“It gives you huge confidence that you are doing the right thing. Today’s match was a great display for myself of how I want to be playing, of what I want to be feeling like when I’m on the court.”

Soon after her victory over Zakharova, Raducanu was in action again in the women’s doubles. However, she and her partner Romanian star Elena-Gabriela Ruse were beaten by third seeds Katerina Siniakova of Poland and Taylor Townsend of the USA 6-2, 7-5.

While Raducanu would have been disappointed to lose in the doubles, she will be able to pay more attention to the singles competition.