Australian Open 2026: Emma Raducanu overcomes slow start to sail into second round

British number one Emma Raducanu said a nap and a walk along the river in Melbourne helped her prepare for her first-round win at the Australian Open.

The 23-year-old overcame a shaky start to ultimately sail past Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew in the second night session on Margaret Court Arena.

Seeded at a major for the first time since the 2022 US Open, Raducanu looked sluggish as she dropped serve early on against the world number 196.

But the former US Open champion eventually found her rhythm, reeling off seven games in a row on her way to a 6-4 6-1 victory – finishing just before 11pm local time.

«I had a potter around Melbourne this morning by the river, had a nap, came out and the atmosphere was electric,» Raducanu said in her on-court interview.

«I want to thank everyone for staying out so late. The support was incredible on both sides.»

Raducanu will face Austrian Anastasia Potapova next, with world number one Aryna Sabalenka potentially lying in wait in the third round.

Raducanu had previously questioned the logic of schedule a men’s best-of-five sets match on the same court before her match.

Expecting a late start Raducanu booked a late-night training session on Saturday to prepare for the cooler, slower night-time conditions.

But it was perhaps an earlier start than she anticipated, with men’s 10th seed Alexander Bublik claiming a commanding straight-set win over American Jenson Brooksby in just over two hours.

«The preparation started yesterday – I booked a court from 21:15 to 23:15 and it was the latest I’ve ever practised,» Raducanu said.

«It’s different to the day – it’s a lot slower and colder, the ball doesn’t travel as much through the air or as high bouncing.

«I got used to it a bit yesterday and I’m really happy I did that. You need to switch on at the right time but not too early so you don’t expend too much energy.»

Raducanu made encouraging progress in 2025, climbing back into the world’s top 30 and playing more matches than in any previous season of her career.

However, the off-season technical work she planned to put in with coach Francisco Roig – who helped Rafael Nadal win 16 of his 22 major titles – was hampered by a foot injury.

She arrived in Melbourne with just one win under her belt and, in her last game before the first major of the year, she fell to a chastening defeat by world number 204 Taylah Preston in Hobart.

It briefly looked like another upset could be on the cards for Raducanu as Sawangkaew – making her Grand Slam main draw debut – sparked to life in the opening few games, overwhelming Raducanu with aggressive returns and clever net play.

She broke the Briton in the third game and had a chance for a 4-1 lead, but Raducanu replied with a handful of brilliant winners to avoid falling further behind.

Raducanu’s momentum gathered from there and she struck back to level the set at 4-4 before breaking again to take the opener.

She continued to overpower the Thai player, hitting 17 winners to Sawangkaew’s nine and winning 27 of the 40 points on offer in the second set – and she sealed victory in style with an ace.

«I feel very happy to have got through the match. From the beginning I thought she was playing incredibly well,» 28th seed Raducanu added.

«I’m really proud how I fought back in the first set.»