Emma Raducanu returned to Grand Slam tennis in style with a straight sets win over Shelby Rogers to advance to the second round of the Australian Open.
In what was the pair’s second meeting, Raducanu clinched a 6-3, 6-2 victory without too much effort after one hour and 18 minutes.
The match marked the 21-year-old’s first appearance at a major since last year’s edition of the Australian Open, having been sidelined for the majority of the 2023 season after undergoing surgery on both her wrists.
‘’I’m very happy to have come through that. It being my first Slam match back, it’s extra sweet," said Raducanu after the match.
"I was a little taken aback by the support. I think it was better than any year I’ve had before here.
‘’It was amazing to see all the signs and hear the support. It was incredible, very happy to play in those sorts of circumstances again.’’
While it failed to show, Raducanu admitted afterwards that she had been ‘nervous’ of stepping onto the court.
‘’First rounds are always difficult," she said.
"You’re always a little bit nervous, regardless of whether you’ve played a tournament the week before, it’s slightly different conditions, different court, it’s a first round again.
"That part really changed but what I realised is that the difference between me potentially losing in the first round or doing really well is really, really slim and it’s in the way that I move and do things physically.
‘’ Just not being so drastic because I know it’s not far away at all and I know the more I practise consistently, the more it will come up.’’
Raducanu will face Wang Yafan in the second round on Thursday.
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