• Emma Raducanu beat Mananchaya Sawangkaew 6-4 6-1 to reach the Australian Open second round.
  • The British number one overcame a slow start and a late-night match routine to reel off seven games in a row.
  • Raducanu fired 17 winners, sealed the win with an ace and now faces Anastasia Potapova next.

H2: Raducanu recovers from sluggish start

Emma Raducanu, the British number one and 28th seed, shook off a tentative beginning to beat Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew 6-4 6-1 in the Australian Open first round. After a late arrival at Melbourne Park and a postponed start, Raducanu gradually found her rhythm and dominated the second set to close out the match before 11pm local time.

H3: Night routine and match build-up

Raducanu described a calm pre-match routine: a riverside walk, treatment, a nap and a short practice. She arrived at the court after 9pm and admitted night matches remain an adjustment. “I’m a night owl, but not to play,” she said, explaining how she has been experimenting with what works for late starts.

H3: Turning point and key stats

Sawangkaew, making her Grand Slam main-draw debut, burst out aggressively and briefly threatened a double break. Raducanu steadied herself, saved break points at 2-4 and then reeled off seven straight games to take control. The Briton hit 17 winners to Sawangkaew’s nine and won 27 of the 40 points in the second set. She sealed victory with an ace.

H2: What the win means

Seeded at a major for the first time since the 2022 US Open, Raducanu’s win is a solid start to her Australian Open campaign. She moved into the second round after a season in which she climbed back into the world’s top 30 and played more matches than in previous years, despite a foot injury that disrupted off-season work with coach Francisco Roig.

H3: Looking ahead

Raducanu will face Austrian Anastasia Potapova in the second round. A win there could set up a potentially high-profile third-round meeting with world number one Aryna Sabalenka.

H4: Honing form after a mixed lead-up

Raducanu arrived in Melbourne with limited match wins in the lead-up and a recent loss in Hobart to Taylah Preston. Still, her ability to regroup mid-match and impose her heavy forehand under pressure will be encouraging for her team and fans.

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Raducanu’s composure in the latter stages of the match — holding serve at a crucial moment in the first set and then dominating the second — underlined her improving match fitness and mental resilience. The British number one now turns her focus to Potapova and the next step in her bid for a deeper run in Melbourne.

Image Referance: https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/articles/c4g52n8m32ro