Emma Raducanu is through to the second round of the Australian Open, despite fears a recent knee injury would hold her back.
The 20-year-old made quick work of German opponent Tamara Korpatsch in front of a packed crowd at 1573 Arena, blazing through in two sets at 6-3 6-2.
There were concerns for Raducanu’s Australian Open potential when news broke that she had sustained a knee injury at last week’s ABC Classic in Auckland.
But the niggle didn’t deter Raducanu, who made easy work of the first set.
She dominated again in the second, putting her smashing skills to work with plenty of lobs sent her way.
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The crowd gasped in the fifth game of the second set when Raducanu appeared to lose her footing, signalling the injury may not be entirely behind her yet.
This was followed by a much more severe tumble by Korpatsch, who tried to shake off her right ankle and yelped in clear frustration at the close of the game.
From there, it was a relatively quick clean-up for Raducanu, who closed out the match in one hour and 26 minutes.
Speaking to reporters after the match, Raducanu said her ankle “felt good” despite the slight slip.
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The Brit famously stunned onlookers at the 2021 US Open when she clinched the title as a relatively-unknown qualifier.
Raducanu will be hoping to improve on her first appearance at the AO in 2022, which saw her get knocked out in the second round.
But it’s looking to be a tough path to glory. Raducanu will face American Coco Gauff, who stunned at Rod Laver Arena on Monday with her 6-1 6-4 victory against Czech player Katerina Siniakova.
Raducanu said she was eager to go up against Gauff, who she called a “great athlete” and “tough opponent”.
“I’m just looking forward to the match-up. We’re both good young players, we’re both coming through … it’ll be a good match.”
