Britain’s Emma Raducanu is out of Indian Wells after a straight-set defeat by world number one Iga Swiatek in the fourth round.
The defending champion won 6-3 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals.
The second set was one-sided, but Raducanu’s three wins in California represent her best tournament since winning the 2021 US Open.
“I think that Iga played a very good level and showed why she is number one in the world,” Raducanu told BBC Sport.
“She was very ruthless with the way that she played. I think I was able to stay competitive for the beginning of the match but ultimately she ground me down and by the end of it I was just taking way too long to recover from one rally.”
The first four games of the match gave Raducanu plenty of encouragement – both players had two break points as the games were shared.
The solitary break of the first set came in the sixth game, allowing Swiatek to take the opener 6-3 as she began striking the ball superbly.
The world number one’s defence was as watertight as ever and the winners started to flow.
Raducanu managed to save four break points at 1-1 in the second set, but could not save a fifth and did not win another game after that.
In her fourth match in six days, at her first tournament since January’s Australian Open, the Briton’s energy levels dropped significantly and the last few games were a procession.
“I can take a positive week,” said the 20-year-old, who nearly withdrew from the tournament because of a wrist injury and the after-effects of tonsillitis.
“I think I had a few good wins earlier against some great opponents. I did two good training weeks in London. They paid off to an extent but ultimately two weeks of training isn’t going to cut it against the world number one right now.
“I’m looking forward to playing her after I’ve got more time under my belt.
“Physically I feel like that’s going to be one of my biggest assets. I think that I’m going to be one of the best athletes on the tour, and that’s going to be a big part of my game.
“I would say there is a very long way to go, but I’m definitely starting the right work now.”
