In her third appearance at the Miami Open, Emma Raducanu achieved her first victory, overcoming 19-year-old wild card Sayaka Ishii 6-2, 6-1 in just 65 minutes.
The former US Open champion is set to face No. 8 seed Emma Navarro in the second round, marking their first encounter and Raducanu’s first match against a Top 10 player since her Australian Open third-round loss to Iga Swiatek.
‘It’s going to be an extremely challenging match,’ Raducanu commented in her on-court interview. ‘She’s probably in better form, so I can go out and express myself and try and compete for every point.’
Raducanu’s previous Miami Open experiences saw her exit in close three-set matches — against Katerina Siniakova in the 2022 second round, and to Bianca Andreescu in the 2023 first round. However, against Ishii, the match was straightforward. The Japanese teenager, who has risen from No. 381 to No. 188 in the past year, was playing in her third WTA main draw, previously reaching the Tokyo quarterfinals last October.
Ishii demonstrated her potential with powerful forehands early in the match, but Raducanu responded with an almost perfect serving performance, including six aces. Ishii struggled to maintain her initial aggression, accumulating 24 unforced errors.
Mboko Brings Impressive Form to WTA Level
Another teenage wild card, Victoria Mboko, also celebrated a win, securing an exciting three-set upset against Camila Osorio 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 in 2 hours and 32 minutes.
The 18-year-old Canadian has shown strong form at the ITF level in 2025, winning five titles across tournaments in the Caribbean, Georgia, England, and Portugal, with a season record of 28-1. Ranked No. 162, her match against Osorio tested her ability to compete at the WTA level against a renowned competitor. Mboko succeeded, claiming both her first Top 100 victory and her first WTA main-draw win, after a previous loss to Rebecca Marino at Granby 2022.
The match was full of momentum shifts. Mboko’s excellent play led to a 5-2 lead in the first set, but she needed five set points to win it as Osorio fought back. In the second set, Mboko recovered from an early break, highlighted by a remarkable rally and a decisive smash. However, Osorio managed to force a third set.
Mboko’s resilience in the third set was evident, as was her ability to hold off Osorio in the crucial moments. Osorio, known for comebacks, used drop shots to try to regain control, but Mboko edged ahead to 5-3 and secured a memorable victory on her first match point when Osorio’s backhand went wide. Mboko will now face her first Top 20 opponent, No. 10 seed Paula Badosa, in the second round.
