"The level is there, she's an incredible player": Emma Raducanu can get back to her best says Aryna Sabalenka after Indian Wells win

A superb 6-3, 7-5 win for Aryna Sabalenka saw her reach the Last 16 of Indian Wells and defeat Emma Raducanu in the process in what was a highly anticipated contest between the pair on Monday.

Sabalenka had survived an almighty scare against Peyton Stearns in the previous round, but Raducanu was always expected to be overpowered by Sabalenka compared to the American. But she held her own at times albeit losing in straight sets and the Australian Open champion lauded her after the match.

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Experience beats youth: Sabalenka secures hard-fought victory over Raducanu

It has been a long road back for Raducanu who since this time last year has dealt with injury troubles and the continued spotlight which has engulfed her and starting from scratch, she has decided not to play at a lower level and instead has been relying on wildcards. But Sabalenka sees that her level is still very much there.

"I know that the level is there, and she [Emma Raducanu] can play some great tennis. But on those key moments, I was focusing on myself and things what I have to do on court to be in this match, and I think it's worked well," Sabalenka said during her post-match press conference at Indian Wells.

She was also quizzed on whether the form and lack there of from Raducanu was a factor. "I wasn't thinking about that at all, to be honest. I'm happy that I'm able to focus on myself during these tough moments. She's an incredible player and she played great tennis today, even though she didn't play much matches in the past couple of months," Sabalenka replied.

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