Emma Raducanu stormed into the second round of the Australian Open after defeating Thailand's Mananchaya Sawangkaew 6-4, 6-1 on Margaret Court Arena. The 28th seed overcame an early wobble by winning seven consecutive games to maintain her perfect opening-round record in Melbourne.
The British No.1 fell behind early against the world number 196 but found her rhythm to close out the match in one hour and 11 minutes. Sawangkaew, a 23-year-old unseeded player making her Grand Slam debut, pushed Raducanu hard in the opening set before the former US Open champion took control.
Late-night preparation
Raducanu revealed she had practiced under unusual circumstances the night before. «The preparation started yesterday,» she said after the match. «I booked the court from 9pm to 11pm, it was the latest I've ever practised.»
The late session appeared to pay off as she adjusted her game to counter Sawangkaew's aggressive baseline play.
Respect for opponent
The British player praised her Thai opponent's performance despite the one-sided scoreline. «She was playing incredibly well and her shots were landing on the baseline, and she was playing much higher than her ranking,» Raducanu said.
«I feel very happy,» she added, as her team led by coach Francisco Roig celebrated in the stands.
Umpire row and fan shoutout
The match featured a brief disagreement with the umpire over a first serve. But Raducanu ended on a lighter note, giving a special mention to a vocal Australian supporter who had cheered her throughout.
«A particular shoutout to, Rado apparently is my name. You're invited to every match!» she told the crowd.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
