Riverside Stroll and Rest Propel Raducanu to Commanding Victory in Melbourne

Emma Raducanu, despite her status as a Grand Slam champion, occasionally finds herself navigating unfamiliar circumstances. This was evident during her first-round match at the Australian Open against Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew, which featured an unusual late start for her.

Ultimately, the match concluded relatively early, especially by the standards of Melbourne Park, as Raducanu gained momentum and secured a 6-4, 6-1 triumph before the clock struck 11 PM local time.

Having participated in only one prior night match at a major event—the semifinal of the 2021 US Open, where she ultimately claimed the title—Raducanu had to adapt her routine carefully for this occasion. She began her day with a leisurely exploration of Melbourne’s vibrant riverside.

“I had a very chill breakfast, walked around for 45 minutes, walked back, had treatment, a chat with the team, then took a nap and came in,” she described.

She arrived at Melbourne Park at 5:30 PM, initiated her pre-match rituals, and began practice at 6 PM. “I’m a night owl, but not to play,” she added, revealing her adjustment to the evening schedule.

As she stepped onto the court shortly after 9 PM, Raducanu’s confidence began to build, despite a rocky start characterized by several unforced errors. Waiting for hours before a match is routine for many athletes, and her compatriot Cameron Norrie also faced a challenging day, expecting to play around 2:30 PM but not stepping onto the court until nearly 6:30 PM.

Norrie battled through a five-set match against France’s Benjamin Bonzi just before Raducanu’s victory. “I’ve been trying to train myself to be better in the night,” Raducanu remarked. “That’s half the battle for me, to be honest—how to arrange the day, when to switch on and when to switch off.”

She continued, “I’ve gone through a few trials of what works and what doesn’t work. I actually felt really good before the match. It helped that the match before didn’t take very long, so I wasn’t on too late.”

Prior to this match, Raducanu had questioned the rationale behind scheduling a men’s best-of-five-set match on the same court before hers. Anticipating a late start, she had arranged a late training session to acclimatize to the cooler nighttime conditions.

However, the preceding match concluded sooner than expected, with the 10th seed Alexander Bublik achieving a decisive straight-set victory over Jenson Brooksby in just over two hours. As the 28th seed at a Grand Slam for the first time since the 2022 US Open, Raducanu began the match sluggishly, facing a threat of falling behind as Sawangkaew initially seized control.

Despite being broken in the third game and facing a potential 4-1 deficit, Raducanu responded with a series of impressive winners to level the set at 4-4 and ultimately take the first set. Once she found her rhythm, she dominated, hitting 17 winners compared to Sawangkaew’s nine in the second set, winning 27 of the 40 points available.

She capped off her performance with an ace, sealing her victory in style. “I feel very happy to have got through the match. From the beginning, I thought she was playing incredibly well,” Raducanu commented. “I’m really proud of how I fought back in the first set.”

Looking ahead, Raducanu is set to face Austria’s Anastasia Potapova next, with the potential challenge of world number one Aryna Sabalenka looming in the third round. Despite a difficult off-season marred by a foot injury that hindered her training with coach Francisco Roig—who played a pivotal role in Rafael Nadal’s success—Raducanu managed to secure a place among the world’s top 30 and participate in more matches than any previous season.

However, her journey to Melbourne was not without setbacks, as she suffered a disappointing loss to world number 204 Taylah Preston in her last match before the Australian Open. As Sawangkaew made her Grand Slam main draw debut, she initially overwhelmed Raducanu with aggressive returns and clever net play, making it appear that another upset could be in the cards.