Wild card Emma Raducanu booked her place in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over qualifier Rebeka Masarova, advancing in 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Raducanu reached the fourth round of Indian Wells last year, her penultimate tournament before undergoing multiple wrist and ankle surgeries. This year, it marks her fifth event since returning to action in January.

The 2021 US Open champion has now reached the second round at four of those five events. She will bid to go beyond that stage for the first time this year against Australian Open semifinalist and No.30 seed Dayana Yastremska. Raducanu won their only previous meeting, in the first round of Portoroz 2022, after Yastremska was forced to retire trailing 6-2, 5-3 due to a right wrist injury.

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Match moments: Masarova's defeats of Heather Watson and Linda Fruhvirtova in qualifying had marked the first time this year she had notched consecutive victories this year. But the No.96-ranked Spaniard was unable to bring the same level against Raducanu, committing a plethora of unforced errors throughout.

Masarova's backhand was particularly wayward, but towards the end of the first set she also gifted key errors to the Briton with a smash into the tramlines and a netted drop shot attempt.

Raducanu largely remained solid, and was able to raise her level when the occasion demanded it. She fired her first winner of the match, a backhand down the line, to convert her fifth break point for a 3-0 double-break lead; and tightened her lead with a sumptuous drop shot-lob combination. Raducanu also notched two key holds from 0-40 down -- when serving out the first set, and when consolidating an initial break in the second.

The 21-year-old's only significant weakness came in the form of eight double faults, three of which came in a single game in the first set. But her return was on song -- Raducanu held at least one break point in all but one Masarova service game -- and she was able to keep her nose in front in both sets. Targeting the Masarova backhand relentlessly, Raducanu converted her fourth match point as Masarova went long on that wing.