Emma Raducanu secured a commanding 6-4, 6-1 victory over Thailand's Mananchaya Sawangkaew in the first round of the Australian Open, headlining a perfect opening day for British players in Melbourne. The 28th seed, competing as a seeded player at a Grand Slam for the first time in four years, overcame an early deficit to win 11 of the final 13 games against the world number 196.
Raducanu faced an immediate challenge when Sawangkaew, making her Grand Slam debut, surged to a 3-1 lead with two break points at 40-15. The British number one responded with seven consecutive games to take control of the match, eventually wrapping up victory in one hour and 11 minutes on Margaret Court Arena.
The late 9:40pm local start time prompted unusual preparation from Raducanu. She booked a practice court the previous evening from 9:15pm to 11:15pm to adapt to the different conditions. «The preparation started yesterday I booked a court for 9.15 to 11:15 p.m. It was the latest I've ever practised, just to get used to it - it is completely different to the day,» she explained. «It's a lot slower, it's colder, the ball doesn't travel as much through the air.»
Strong opponent praise
Raducanu credited her 23-year-old opponent despite the comfortable final scoreline. «I felt like [Sawangkaew] was playing incredibly well so I'm really proud of how I fought back in the first set,» she said. «She's playing some incredible tennis, playing way higher than her ranking is currently, and I'm sure she's going to do good things this year.»
The victory marked a strong start for Raducanu after a difficult pre-season. A foot injury prevented her from training at full intensity until late December, followed by a loss at the United Cup and a defeat to Taylah Preston in Hobart, where she was the top seed.
British sweep
The British contingent achieved a perfect three wins from three matches on opening day. Qualifier Arthur Fery, 23, pulled off an upset by defeating 20th seed Flavio Cobolli, while Cam Norrie also advanced to the second round.
Raducanu will face Anastasia Potapova, the world number 55, in the second round. Potapova is competing under the Austrian flag for the first time at a Grand Slam after defecting from Russia.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
