Emma Raducanu and Naomi Osaka discover Indian Wells opponents as qualifiers are placed
The qualifiers for the 2024 Indian Wells Open have been placed and Emma Raducanu, Naomi Osaka and Venus Williams are among those who have finally discovered their first-round opponents.
The trio were among 11 players who were paired with qualifiers for their opening matches at the WTA 1000 event in California, but the qualy event is now done and dusted and that paved the way for the schedule to be completed.
Raducanu – who is currently at No 250 in the WTA Rankings and received a wildcard entry into the main draw – will take on world No 96 Rebeka Masarova on Thursday evening at the Tennis Garden, but the order of play for day two is still to be confirmed.
It will be a first top-level meeting between Raducanu and Masarova, but both players have struggled for wins so far in 2024.
2021 US Open winner Raducanu is 3-4 so far this campaign while her Spanish opponent has won only one match on the WTA Tour so far and that came at the Australian Open. Raducanu hasn’t played since she lost in straight sets against Analina Kalinina in the opening round of the Qatar Open.
READ MORE: Tennis legend not convinced Emma Raducanu will regain peak form
The winner of that contest will take on 30th seed Dayana Yastremska in the second round while world No 2 Aryna Sabalenka could await in the third round.
Besides looking for a confidence-boosting win, Raducanu will also be desperate for ranking points as she has slipped to No 336 in the Live Rankings after dropping 120 points following her run to the fourth round last year.
Former world No 1 Naomi Osaka, who used her protected ranking to enter the main draw, was also paired with a qualifier and she will face veteran Sara Errani first up with the winner rewarded with a clash against 14th seed Liudmila Samsonova.
Errani, a runner-up at Roland Garros in 2012, will be no pushover as she is currently ranked No 65 and reached the quarter-final of the Transylvania Open in early February.
Osaka, who is still nursing her way back after giving birth in 2023, is coming off an extended break after she opted to skip the Dubai Tennis Championship following her run to the last eight at the Qatar Open, which saw her surge from No 747 to No 287 in the WTA Rankings.
Meanwhile, tennis great Venus Williams has also been handed a wildcard and she takes on Nao Hibino in what will be her first match since last year’s US Open in August.
The 15th-seeded Veronika Kudermetova awaits the winner of the Williams-Hibino encounter.
