BNP Paribas Open: Emma Raducanu has found her mojo in the desert

Is she back?

Emma Raducanu has found her mojo in the desert and is playing the type of tennis she played during her remarkable U.S. Open win in 2021 but hasn't played since.

Raducanu knocked off No. 13 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 in front of a spirited crowd on Stadium 3 on Monday to advance to the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open.

"Yeah, I think I played a really high level at some points of the match," the 20-year-old Raducanu said. "I think that I played extremely well in the first set and in the third set, as well. There were some really good points and moments. I think overall the level increased in the third, and it was a battle from both of us."

Reaching the fourth round is the deepest run for Raducanu at this event and her deepest run at any Masters 1000 or Grand Slam event since her 2021 U.S. Open title. Also Haddad Maia is the second highest-ranked player Raducanu has beaten in her career, behind only a win over then-No. 11 Belinda Bencic during her U.S. Open win.

Raducanu blitzed Haddad Maia, playing almost flawless tennis in the first set, rolling to a 6-1 win. But the talented Brazilian countered as she jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second set and regained control. But in the third set, it was a break of serve by Raducanu at 3-3 that helped her gain separation. She then held her own serve for a 5-3 lead. Raducanu held serve again to win 6-4.

Raducanu played with confidence and aggressiveness, ripping forehands and attacking second serves.

When the last ball hit the net by Haddad Maia, Raducanu dropped her racket and crouched with her head in her hands in a moment of celebratory emotion. It was the kind of reaction by Raducanu that let you know this win meant a lot to her.

She said what pleased her the most was her resiliency in the frustrating moments, like not closing out the match in her first three match-point opportunities.

"I think I did a really good job mentally of just staying — you know, keep hitting through the shots and trying to be, like, committing to everything, even when it's tight," she said. "Even when you're just like you don't want to hope the opponent misses, because at this level, they don't. I think my first match point she hit the back of the line, and I was, like, half praying the ball was going to go out, but it didn't. Then she put the next ball away. But, yeah, I'm pleased because I did face some breakpoints early in the third set and, yeah, came through and I felt really good out there."

Before this event, Raducanu hadn't even won two matches in a row at a tournament since September. Now she's won three in a row, including wins over Haddad Maia and No. 20 Magda Linette in her second-round match.

She lost in the second round at the Australian Open in January and hadn't played a competitive match since then before coming to Indian Wells. She said she spent two weeks in London working on her health and her game, and she attributes that to her success in the desert so far.

Next up for Raducanu will be a date with either the World No. 1 Iga Swiatek or 2019 BNP Paribas Open champion Bianca Andreescu. Those two play Monday night.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: BNP Paribas Open: Emma Raducanu has found her mojo in Indian Wells