Emma Raducanu had a scare with an injury earlier in the tournament, but she made a successful comeback on the court and won in straight sets to advance to the second round of the Australian Open. In the first round of competition in Melbourne, the British number one defeated her German opponent Tamara Korpatsch by scores of 6-3 and 6-2.
The 20-year-old Raducanu sprained her ankle 11 days ago in Auckland, and her ecstatic smile after securing the victory showed how happy she was to have made it through her first test. In the second round, world No. 77 will compete against seventh-seeded American Coco Gauff. Gauff, who is only 18 years old, is considered one of the favourites to win the women's singles competition at Melbourne Park. She began the tournament by defeating her Czech opponent, Katerina Siniakova, by scores of 6-1 and 6-4.
Gauff's doubles partner and another player who is favourably favoured to win her first major singles title, American third seed Jessica Pegula, made an even bigger statement with a victory of 6-0, 6-1 over Romania's Jaqueline Cristian that only took 59 minutes to complete. Pegula is also Gauff's doubles partner. As he continues to rebuild his career following a serious knee injury, the British player Kyle Edmund was defeated in the men's singles competition by the 15th seed from Italy, Jannik Sinner, by scores of 6-4, 6-0, and 6-2. Edmund, who is now 28 years old, played with a protected ranking and made it all the way to the semifinals in 2018, but his career has been derailed as a result of needing three operations.
Raducanu has had a smooth start, but tougher challenges lie ahead.
When Raducanu walked off the court in Auckland in tears, it was clear that her participation in the first major tournament of the season was in serious jeopardy. Since she was catapulted to superstardom by winning the 2021 US Open as a teenage qualifier, the Briton has struggled with physical issues. She hired Andy Murray's former fitness coach, Jez Green, and she put in a lot of hard work during the offseason to build her body so that it can withstand the rigours of the WTA Tour.
Therefore, it was a terrible setback when she sprained her left ankle in what she referred to as a "strange accident." The movement of Raducanu improved throughout the course of the previous week's practise at Melbourne Park; however, the true indication of her condition would only be visible in the context of a match situation. When Raducanu initially stretched out to the backhand side and had to put weight on the affected foot, she appeared cautious because the strapping was still around her ankle. After a start marred by poor play and strewn with unforced errors, the players went on to trade five breaks of serve before Raducanu began to gain his footing and his confidence.
Korpatsch, who is 27 years old and ranked one place higher than Raducanu, did not have the same pedigree as Raducanu and was competing in the main draw of the Australian Open for the first time.
After the German, who plays better on clay but appeared tense throughout the entire match, committed a double fault, Raducanu was given a match point, which he converted when Korpatsch hit a forehand long. Raducanu won the match. Raducanu was ecstatic as she danced around the court in celebration, but she is well aware that her match against Gauff on Wednesday will be much more difficult than the one she just played.
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