Emma Raducanu v Moyuka Uchijima: Free Tips, Prediction and Odds

Emma Raducanu has long struggled to live up to her US Open heroics of 2021 and, with the Briton going through a lean spell, there is an air of vulnerability about her in her opening-round clash at the WTA Indian Wells Masters against Moyuka Uchijima.

At her best this would be a routine assignment for Raducanu, but those performances are becoming less frequent and she heads to California having lost five of her last six matches.

The talent clearly remains for Raducanu and at some point the fortunes should change for the 22-year-old, but consistency is evading her and in Uchijima she is facing a promising player performing to a decent level.

Raducanu showed signs of a rejuvenation at the Australian Open earlier in the year, beating Ekaterina Alexandrova and Amanda Anisimova before bumping into Iga Swiatek in round three, but the level has noticeably dipped since then.

Uchijima, a 23-year-old hailing from Japan, will sense an opportunity to claim an upset and she could make the British star pull out all of the stops.

Emma Raducanu v Moyuka Uchijima free betting tips and predictions

Moyuka Uchijima +4.5 games on handicap - 4/5

Raducanu ran out a 6-2 6-4 winner when these two met in Seoul in September 2022, but the gap between the pair has closed in recent seasons and their latest rivalry should be more closely contested.

That is because Raducanu is becoming increasingly tougher to predict and she has lost five of her last six matches, which includes a first-round defeat to world number 96 Cristina Bucsa in Singapore at the end of January.

The Briton has been out of action since losing her second-round match in Dubai to Karolina Muchova 7-6 6-4 on February 18th and there is every possibility that she comes on for this outing.

Raducanu’s natural talent may be enough to get her over the line, but Uchijima should have little to fear and she will be confident with where her current level is at.

The Japanese player has been unlucky to bump into some strong performers in recent events. The 23-year-old took world number 20 Yulia Putintseva to three sets in Doha and then proved no match for world number seven Elena Rybakina in Dubai.

However, Uchijima had toppled the in-form Jelena Ostapenko, who had previously made the final in Doha, in Dubai and that suggests she can give Raducanu a real scare.

Raducanu’s form can certainly be questioned and, with that in mind, a generous handicap start of +4.5 games may seriously underestimate Uchijima, who looks capable of climbing the rankings from her current position of world number 52.

Emma Raducanu to serve 5+ aces - 13/8

With Raducanu perhaps not completely happy with where her game is at, keeping points short and sweet may be the strategy to take and taking the Brit to serve five or more aces at 13/8 could prove profitable.

Raducanu is capable of producing big serves and she has fired in five or more aces in three of her last five matches, all despite winning only one of those contests, and those rivals were ranked higher than Uchijima is.

Four of Uchijima’s last five opponents have managed at least four aces, showing that her defence isn’t the strongest aspect of her game, and it is an area that Raducanu should be looking to exploit.

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Emma Raducanu v Moyuka Uchijima odds

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.