Playing in her first match since encountering an alleged stalker at the Dubai Tennis Championships, Emma Raducanu fell in straight sets 6-3, 6-2 to Moyuka Uchijima in a first-round match at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, on Thursday.

Making her debut at Indian Wells, Uchijima won the first set after initially struggling to handle Raducanu’s serve. However, she soon settled down and found her timing. She eventually broke Raducanu at 2-2 and took control of the first set on her way to winning. Uchijima went on to win four consecutive games and Raducanu couldn’t recover.

Windy conditions affected Raducanu early on, resulting in her hitting a few shots too long, perhaps in an attempt to power through the wind. Meanwhile, if Uchijima was bothered by the wind, she didn’t show it.

Uchijima looked as if she might dispatch Raducanu quickly in the second set, going ahead 2-0 and giving her opponent difficulty on her returns. However, Uchijima still had trouble with Raducanu’s serve, allowing her to battle her way back in the set.

Just as Raducanu appeared to be on her way to tying the set, Uchijima stood her ground, defending the baseline brilliantly against her opponent’s returns. Raducanu just couldn’t get through and eventually faltered at the net to fall behind 4-2.

Once again, the wind gave Raducanu problems, blowing a high shot out of her reach and leaving her out of position against a fierce backhand from Uchijima. That broke Raducanu’s serve and essentially clinched the match.

“I tried to stay mentally tough because the wind was out of our control,” Uchijima said in her post-match interview. “I stayed in the tough moments really well and maintained my focus.”

Uchijima will face world No. 3 player Coco Gauff in the second round Saturday.

“She’s a great player, a great champion, so I have nothing to lose,” Uchijima said, acknowledging that the crowd at Indian Wells will likely be rooting for Gauff.

Raducanu spoke to reporters Wednesday for the first time since the incident at Dubai on Feb. 18, during which she lost to Karolina Muchova. The WTA removed a man who “exhibited fixated behavior” with Raducanu from the venue. She explained the emotional distress she felt after seeing the man in the stands.

Raducanu hid behind the umpire’s chair as the man was removed from his seat. But she was clearly unsettled and couldn’t recover, eventually losing the second-round match to Muchova 7-6 (8), 6-4.

Despite what happened in Dubai, Raducanu was determined to compete at Indian Wells, calling it her “favorite tournament.” She said she “couldn’t really step away from it” and decided to play at the BNP Paribas Open this week.

“There’s a part of you that thinks, ‘I’m not gonna let a middle-aged creep stop me doing what I love to do,'” Raducanu said.