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Emma Raducanu struggled in a testing Indian Wells wind as she was beaten on her first appearance since being targeted by a stalker during a match.

The 22-year-old Briton was unsure if she was going to even play in the California tournament following the incident at the Dubai Tennis Championships on 18 February, where she spotted a man who she had reported for what WTA officials described as “exhibiting fixated behaviour”.

After deliberating whether to take an extended break from the WTA Tour, Raducanu decided to make the journey to Indian Wells – one of the biggest events outside of the four majors.

However, the world number 55 was out of sorts as she lost 6-3 6-2 to Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open.

“I didn’t feel anxious about any of the scenarios that have happened recently”, Raducanu told BBC Sport.

“I think I had a good preparation with good people around”.

Raducanu, who has been given increased security at the WTA event in California, walked on court with a solemn expression and glanced several times around the vast arena.

Throughout the match she showed little emotion and, unsurprisingly given the defeat, quickly left with a despondent look.

Later, speaking in her post-match news conference, she added: “I didn’t have what happened in Dubai in my head at all today.

In tricky conditions created by a brisk wind in the Californian desert, Raducanu looked uncomfortable throughout as Uchijima adapted impressively.

The 2021 US Open champion made a host of errors to allow Uchijima, a tenacious opponent who continued to put balls back into court, to come out on top of the often scrappy rallies.

Raducanu faced break points in her opening six service games, a result of the pressure created by a lack of accuracy as she looked to be aggressive.

Five of those games ended in Raducanu losing serve as she trailed by a set and a break to the 52nd-ranked Uchijima.

The Briton cut a subdued figure after she could not convert any of three chances to break back for 3-3.

After Uchijima dug deep to hold, Raducanu did not win another point and trudged off court having lost for a sixth time in her nine matches this year.

Raducanu was watched from the stands by Slovakian coach Vladimir Platenik, who has linked up with the British number two on a trial basis.

Platenik, 49, was coaching New Zealand qualifier Lulu Sun when she beat Raducanu at Wimbledon last year, while he has also worked with top-10 players Dominika Cibulkova, Daria Kasatkina and Veronika Kudermetova.

When asked which areas of her game she wanted to work on with Platenik, Raducanu smiled and said” everything”.

” I’ll need to improve starting the point. That’s a big part of tennis. I can do that a lot better, “she added.

” I could improve being more aggressive and having a better quality of shot going forward into the court.

“I could improve every area of my game after today’s performance”.

Shortly after Raducanu’s exit, British number three Sonay Kartal did move into the second round, making the most of being given a ‘ lucky loser ‘ spot having been beaten in qualifying.

Kartal, 23, won 7-6 (8-6) 6-2 against 38-year-old American qualifier Varvara Lepchenko and faces Brazilian 16th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia next.

Just short of the hour mark in Istanbul, after he had scored Rangers ‘ first, brilliantly assisted their second, then came inches away, twice, from adding a third, Cyriel Dessers reminded you of a boxer, dancing around the ring, toying with a bewildered opponent.

The Fenerbahce backline were on the ropes. Their defences were down and so were their heads. They remonstrated with each other about this menace in their midst and their inability to stop him. Dessers was running amok.

There were many major performers on this night of nights for Rangers – all of them, quite frankly – but Dessers was one of the star turns.

Rangers folk have had a torrid relationship with him. A kind of Richard Burton-Elizabeth Taylor vibe if you are old enough to catch the drift, an on-off thing, love and hate, tempestuous, never dull.

If you look back over Rangers ‘ past 25 to 30 years, you’ll see that Alfredo Morelos and Kris Boyd managed back-to-back 20-plus goal seasons in the top flight, but it is a pantheon with few heroes.

That’s not a word many among the Rangers support would associate with Dessers.

He has spoken before about feeling written off only months into his first season at the club – last season – how his misses were more talked about than his goals and how it made him feel like the worst Rangers player ever. His description.

On Thursday, he looked like one of the best Rangers strikers of several decades. Classy, dangerous, resilient, he was inches away from an away European hat-trick.

One goal, one assist and one lovely cushioned pass to Nico Raskin before his sumptuous delivery to Vaclav Cerny for the goal that made it 3-1 was a mighty contribution from a maligned player who just keeps going no matter the doubt that rings in his ears from the stands.

Maybe you could say the same about Rangers in Europe.

This tie isn’t over, but they produced something very special in Istanbul and take a two-goal buffer to Glasgow next week. Nobody saw that coming. Absolutely nobody.

They were immense. Had they won by four instead of two then Jose Mourinho suggested that he could have had no complaints.

This was a glorious night for the ‘ Four Bears ‘ – the interim coaching team of former Rangers men led by Barry Ferguson – and a continuation of the surreality that surrounds this collection of players.

Defeats in recent weeks by Motherwell, St Mirren and Queen’s Park in the Scottish Cup. A manager sacked. A support in uproar. A Glasgow rival laughing in their face, 16 points clear in the league and so far ahead on every metric that you wonder when, or if, the chasm between them will close.

A team that struggles hopelessly when dealing with the low blocks of smaller clubs domestically – they have dropped points in 11 out of 29 league matches – and then delivers their very best stuff against better teams in European football.

Sigmund Freud could not get to the heart of this lot. He would end up on the couch himself with Carl Jung waving a fan and some smelling salts in his face.

Is there one to rival them in the Rangers ‘ odditorium’? Club historians will have plenty to say on that.

In more recent memory, the Giovanni van Bronckhorst side of 2021-22 are worth a mention. They got to the Europa League final that season, only losing on penalties.

They beat the Borussia Dortmund of Mats Hummels, Raphael Guerreiro and Jude Bellingham then the RB Leipzig of Konrad Laimer, Josko Gvardiol, Dani Olmo and Dominik Szoboszlai.

One missed penalty in the final shootout against an Eintracht Frankfurt side later broken up and sold on for serious money was all that stopped them.

All of those massive nights against heavy-hitters in Europe and they had to settle for second place in the Scottish Premiership to Ange Postecoglou’s new Celtic team.

There are big differences between that team and the Rangers of today, though. Van Bronckhorst’s lot fought hard domestically, losing the league by just four points and winning the Scottish Cup.

They were never as far off the pace in Scotland as the current crew, and never displayed the kind of incredible turbulence that has been so pervasive this season.

Winston Churchill described the geo-politics of the old Soviet Union as a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma – a description that could be stolen and applied to the twin personalities of this Rangers outfit.

Fenerbahce, like others before them, afforded Rangers time and space on the not unreasonable premise that a team not good enough to score against second-tier opposition in Scotland was hardly likely to cause them too many problems.

Big mistake. Huge. They reckoned without the Jekyll and Hyde, the domestic Rangers and the European Rangers, the Rangers who have the devil’s own job in breaking down defensive teams in the Premiership but who are like kids in candy stores in Europe when there is space and an ability to counter-attack.

Dessers typified the effort: strutting, lethal and head and shoulders ahead of more celebrated strikers down the other end.

Ferguson and his coaches deserve huge credit for a formation shift to three at the back, which worked well. For sending their team out with belief when those players had reason not to believe.

Betfred Super League

Hull FC (6) 22

Tries: Cartwright, Barron, Ese’ese, Martin Goals: Lane, Sezer 2

Leigh (12) 22

Leigh Leopards lost their 100% record but reached the Super League summit for the first time in their history after a brilliant, action-packed draw against Hull FC at the MKM Stadium.

The Leopards seemed to be in command when they led 12-6 after Hull had both Aidan Sezer and Jordan Rapana yellow-carded within the space of five minutes.

But the home side fought back in a sensational second half, squaring the game twice through Harvey Barron and Herman Ese’ese – only for Lachlan Lam to set up David Armstrong for two tries that restored Leigh’s advantage.

Seeking their first home victory in eight months, the Black and Whites began well and drew first blood when Jed Cartwright collected Cade Cust’s short pass and sped over for his first try of the season.

Leigh’s response was almost immediate as Lam’s dummy gave Andrew Badrock the opportunity to set up Niu, who barged over the line before Gareth O’Brien’s conversion attempt bounced off the frame – just as Sezer had already done for Hull.

But the contest was ignited when referee Thomas Grant sent both Sezer and Rapana to the sin-bin in quick succession for high tackles on Armstrong and, with Hull conceding a string of penalties, the visitors took advantage.

However, Hull’s 11 men produced a spirited response, not only keeping their opponents at bay but reducing the deficit to six before they returned to full strength, courtesy of Jordan Lane’s penalty.

The hosts maintained their momentum after the turnaround and pulled level as Sezer’s crossfield punt eluded Tom Briscoe but was snapped up by Barron, who wriggled over the line.

Leigh regained the lead when Lam found Armstrong, whose burst of speed propelled him into the corner and, despite being grounded short of the line, the full-back clung on to force the ball over.

Back came Hull as John Asiata teed up Ese’ese to thunder his way across the line – only for Lam and Armstrong to combine again and edge the visitors ahead for the third time in the game.

But the Black and Whites refused to give up and Martin’s try in the corner with seconds remaining brought them level again – only for Sezer’s conversion to miss its target and set up a golden-point scenario.

Hull FC: Moy, Barron, Briscoe, Rapana, Martin, Cust, Sezer, Ese’ese, Bourouh, Aydin, Cartwright, Lane, Asiata.

Interchanges: Ashworth, Fash, Hutchinson, Knight.

Leigh: Armstrong, Brand, Niu, Hanley, Hodgson, O’Brien, Lam, Trout, Ipape, Hughes, Badrock, O’Neill, Liu.

Interchanges: Brogan, Tuitavake, Davis, Dwyer.