Raducanu found form in Miami with a more relaxed approach, which allowed her to play with greater freedom.

Raducanu decided to abandon a trial partnership with Slovak coach Vladimir Platenik coming into the tournament, asking for guidance from some familiar faces instead.

Mark Petchey, a well-known figure in British tennis who coached Raducanu in her teenage years, joined her long-time confidante Jane O'Donoghue and fitness coach Yutaka Nakamura.

Raducanu said the set-up allowed her to be "authentic" and "express" herself on court - and it showed against Pegula with her clean ball-striking and sharp movement.

Pegula's solid groundstrokes offered few errors and a single break was enough for Raducanu to lose the opening set.

Raducanu was heartened by the quality of her play, though.

Adopting a more aggressive approach in the second set paid dividends as she dominated Pegula, quickly getting her reward with an early break as momentum shifted.

When Raducanu could not level with the double break, amid complaining of dizziness, it felt like she was there for the taking when she returned from the medical timeout.

But she showed remarkable mental toughness to hold serve for 6-5, managing to step up her level again in a superb tie-break, before Pegula outlasted her in the decider.