Emma Laducanu earned her first win since September after fighting back to beat Camila Osorio in straight sets in the first round of the Hobart International.
Britain’s No. 1 seed, who is the tournament’s top seed, fell behind 4-2 on her own serve and fell to deuce in the second set against wild card Colombia, which was forced to stop due to rain on Tuesday.
But the next day, Raducanu came back and took the second set in a tiebreak, breaking the Colombian who was serving for the set at 5-4 and winning 6-3, 7-6 (7-2).
The 23-year-old advanced to the quarter-finals against world No. 204 Tyra Preston after Poland’s Magdalena Frech, who was scheduled to play her in the second round, was forced to withdraw due to a thigh issue.
Raducanu lost her first match of 2026 to Greece’s Maria Sakkari earlier this month while representing Great Britain in the mixed team United Cup.
Top-seeded Raducanu was given a bye in the quarter-finals in Tasmania.
Raducanu ended the 2025 season in October after falling ill in China, but suffered a foot injury during pre-season and missed a scheduled United Cup singles match against Naomi Osaka, before returning to play against Sakkari.
Raducanu: This victory means a lot
After his win over world No. 82 Osorio, Raducanu said: “These games mean so much more than that. There’s a fine line between winning and losing in games like that.”
“It can easily affect your entire mood, your entire day, your entire week. I try not to, but it’s very difficult. Today is a very good day to build on.
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The match between Raducanu and Osorio was suspended on Tuesday due to heavy rain and the Englishman proceeded to set up but lost the second match 4-2.
“It was a very difficult game. We played in all kinds of situations, we won a few times, we went down a few times, it was really difficult.
“I’m really happy with how we came out and turned it around and hung in during the tiebreak.”
Raducanu will be seeded 28th in the women’s singles at the Australian Open, which will be held from January 18 to February 1.
The Brit reached the third round in Melbourne last year, but lost 6-1, 6-0 to current world No. 2 Iga Swiatek.
Blitz Eye main Australian Open draw – Austrian Offner suffers fiasco
Meanwhile, in the Australian Open qualifying round, British men Arthur Ferry and George Lofhagen are each one win away from making their main draw debut.
Ferry defeated former Top 20 player Bernard Tomic 6-4, 6-2 in just over an hour and will face Croatia’s Dino Prismic for a spot in the tournament.
Britain’s Arthur Ferry is one win away from the Australian Open main draw
Lofhagen will face American Nishesh Vasavareddy after his second-round opponent, Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan, left with an injury while trailing 6-3, 3-1.
Basavalady celebrated an early victory moments before the Austrian before overcoming a final-set tiebreak to defeat Sebastian Ofner in bizarre fashion.
Offner thought he had won 7-1, forgetting that tie-breaks are extended to 10 points in Grand Slam tournaments, but was knocked out 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (13-11) before Basavareddy could imitate the “choke” gesture.
Norrie withdraws from ASB Classic
Meanwhile, Cameron Norrie’s hopes of making the last eight at the ASB Classic in Auckland ended when he lost in the second round to giant Frenchman Giovanni Mpesi Pericard.
Cameron Norrie will miss ASB Classic in Auckland
The No. 1 Englishman, who plays in his hometown, had a match point in the 10th game of the third set, but lost in a close contest 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4).
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