Emma Raducanu wins Australian Open opener but promises to address part of her game that had ‘a mind of its own’
EMMA RADUCANU overcame a serving issue to secure a spot in the Australian Open second round following two set tiebreaks.
In her first match since November, the 22-year-old beat 26th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-2) at Melbourne Park.
Raducanu appeared rusty throughout the match given her lack of match time.
The Brit was forced to withdraw from her warm-up tournament in New Zealand due to a back spasm.
And following her arrival in Melbourne, she suffered a series of insect bites which made her foot and hand swell up – although she refused treatment with a spray through fears of accidentally doping.
Raducanu served 15 double-faults, made 30 unforced errors and won just 30 per cent of points on her second serve, but she stepped up when it mattered most to win the match after two gruelling sets.
The former US Open winner admitted she lacked some control in her serve throughout the match.
She said: “I mean honestly, I’m not sure what I changed in my serve today.
“I think it had a mind of its own so I will be sure to reflect and look at that.”
However, she was determined not to let the issue affect her overall performance.
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Raducanu, 22, continued: “I think the thing about it is it’s very important to not let it trickle into the rest of your game.
“Maybe when you’re not committing as much on it, it kind of seeps through maybe the first ball after you’re a bit more under the pump.
“I’ve had experience of having teething problems with it, and then being able to come back and fix it for the next match.
“I’m looking forward to getting back out on the court tomorrow and working on it.”
Raducanu will next face Amanda Anisimova in the second round on Thursday.