Emma Raducanu has made a winning start at the Australian Open, after beating Ekaterina Alexandrova in her first match of the 2025 season.
Raducanu had suffered a back problem, that forced the Brit to withdraw from her scheduled first tournament of the year in Auckland.
However, the former US Open champion was able to brush that off ahead of the first major of 2025 and Raducanu played practice sets with Elena Rybakina and other top WTA players in Melbourne.
It had been suggested that Raducanu could upset the 26th seed in Alexandrova prior to the match, and the 22-year-old was able to do just that in two tie-break sets.
Despite the victory, it was not all plain-sailing for Raducanu as she struggled a key shot throughout the match.
Emma Raducanu struggles with her serve in her Australian Open first round
While Raducanu was on the right side of the result, it was clear that she was struggling with her serve against Alexandrova.
During her first round match at the Australian Open, Raducanu managed to hit nine aces, but that was overshadowed by 15 double faults.
When asked about this issue in her post-match press conference, Raducanu did not seem to know the cause of these errors.
“Yeah, I mean, honestly, I’m not sure what I changed in my serve today,” said Raducanu. “I think it had a mind of its own (laughter). I will be sure to reflect, look at that and come back to you (smiling).”
Raducanu went onto explain when she found serving more difficult, referring to the weight of the ball.
“I think in the first set I was hitting a lot of good first serves,” said the world number 61. “I hit a few aces. In the same time I was hitting a double fault. I was, like, quite accepting that, Okay, I’m at least going for it.
“I think as the balls got heavier, it was a lot more difficult. As I think more kept coming, it was not easy to kind of refocus, but I knew that even if I was down, I have great returns.
“It was good to be able to rely on other parts of my game today that I know are quite strong, as well. Yeah, I’m just very proud that I didn’t let it affect me too much and let the match run away from me.”
What has Emma Raducanu said about her next Australian Open match?
Raducanu will now face former Grand Slam semi-finalist and friend Amanda Anisimova in her second round match at the Australian Open.
Both players have struggled with injuries in recent years, with Raducanu recently employing Yutaka Nakamura as her new fitness coach to help work on her conditioning.
When asked about facing Anisimova in the next match, Raducanu said, “I know she’s a big ball-striker. She hits the ball really hard. Practiced with her a couple times. Yeah, she likes to dictate. So I think it’s going to be a big challenge for me, of course.
“She’s had some amazing results, as well. She broke out really early. I’m looking forward to going out there and testing my game and seeing where I’m at.”
Raducanu will play Anisimova in a first-time meeting on Thursday January 16, with the winner potentially setting up a third round match with Iga Swiatek.
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