Emma Ladukanu won the first round of the Australian Open on Sunday, defeating world No. 195 Manachaya Sawankaew of Thailand.
Raducanu arrived in Melbourne on Friday after reaching the quarter-finals of the Hobart International Tournament, but was busy preparing for the tournament.
But after getting off to a slow start, she slumped in 10 of her next 11 matches and cruised to a 6-4 6-1 victory over the diminutive Thai debutant at Margaret Court Arena.
The result marked a perfect opening day for British players, with Cameron Norrie and qualifier Arthur Ferry both progressing into the second round of the men’s singles.
“I’m very happy that I was able to survive that match,” Raducanu said on court after the win.
“From the beginning, she was playing incredibly well and it seemed like every return and shot was falling to the baseline.
“I’m really proud of how I fought back in the first set because it made life very difficult.
“She played great tennis and was much higher than her current ranking. I’m sure she will do well this year.”
The 23-year-old has battled physical issues again during pre-season, with a foot injury severely limiting her time on court and appearing to lack the sharpness of her game against Maria Sakkari at the United Cup last week, before defeating Camila Osorio in her opening match in Hobart before losing to world No. 204 Tyra Preston.
Raducanu could face world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the third round.
Sawankaew, who is making his Grand Slam debut and has already won a lower-level title this season, got off to a lightning start, going from a 4-1 lead to two break points in the first set.
However, Ladukanu found his rhythm and surged through the next seven games until Sawankeo stopped the rot.
The British No. 1 achieved her goal of being seeded in a Grand Slam once again, dominating her opponents with heavier shots and signs of encouragement.
She grabbed her first match point with an ace in the first round of the Australian Open, making it a perfect 5-0.
An even tougher test awaits, with world No. 55 Anastasia Potapova likely to face world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the second round and No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the third round.
Potapova defeated Susan Lamens of the Netherlands 3-6, 7-5, 6-2.
“I was incredibly nervous, but at the same time I had a great run and had great memories,” Raducanu said of standing in the big arena for the first time at Wimbledon, the same year he won the 2021 US Open.
“That’s one of my fondest memories of the tournament. It’s so nerve-wracking to play right away, especially in a big stadium. She did a really good job of firing off the blocks. I was very impressed.”
She was also surprised to hear her new nickname, “Apparently Rado is my new nickname.”
Raducanu was hampered by a flight delay from the tournament in Hobart, where she reached the quarter-finals earlier this week, with Australian Open organizers directing her to start on Sunday.
At a press conference afterwards, she looked happy and talked about her start. “Actually, I didn’t feel particularly bad in terms of doing too much wrong. I thought she served incredibly well, probably better than I expected coming into the court. There were a couple of times early on where the returns were very big on the line.”
“That puts a lot of pressure on me right away. I probably thought I wasn’t going to do a little too much early on and made some mistakes. I was still looking for the forehand and doing the right thing.”
“I was very happy with how I kept fighting. (1-3) It was a really important game to hold on to.
“After that, I think it was a combination of me finding my footing, being a little more dominant with my movements, and some mistakes on her part. We ended up having a pretty good match. I’m really proud of myself.”
Keothabong ‘worried’ about Radukanu’s late start
England’s Billie Jean King Cup captain Anne Keosavon told TNT Sports that despite Laducane’s round, there are still some concerns.
“To be honest, I was a little worried after the first few games,” she said.
“Emma felt something when she lost 15-40 at 3-1. Up until that point, she hadn’t won a single point off her opponent’s first serve.
“But from then on, everything changed and it was all about Emma. Once she got on top of her opponent, she really dominated and there was only one winner.”
“Once she understood her opponent and loosened her grip, she was able to really rip!”
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