‘Welcome to Australia,’ Emma Raducanu defeats fellow US Open champion, Sloane Stephens in the first round of Australian Open 2022

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Emma Raducanu, 17th seed at Australian Open 2022 claimed a hard fought victory over fellow US Open champion, Sloane Stephens in the first round. The 2021 US Open champion won in three sets by a score-line of 6-0, 2-6, 6-1.

Emma Raducanu started the match on the front foot, as she dropped a bagel in the first set. The opening set lasted just about 17 minutes, as she looked unplayable at the Margaret Court Arena. The Briton’s standards dropped massively in the second set, as she made plenty of unforced errors, which brought back Sloane Stephens into the game.

Emma Raducanu held her nerve in her first ever three set affair at a Grandslam event. The Briton completely outplayed Stephens in the third set, and won the set, 6-1. This will be a huge step forward for the youngster, who faced a drubbing in the first round in Sydney.

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Emma Raducanu fights back in the deciding set!

Emma Raducanu
Emma Raducanu

Emma Raducanu had six double faults to her name during the entire match, which is a lot for a player of her quality. The Briton won 66% of her points on first serve, and 60% points on the second serve.

Meanwhile, Emma Raducanu was broken on three occasions by Sloane Stephens. On the other hand, Raducanu broke her opponent on six occasions, out of possible eight chances. In all, the Briton won 79 points as compared to Stephens’ tally of 59 points. Emma Raducanu showed respect to her opponent after the game, stating that she was delighted to emerge victorious against someone like Sloane’s quality.

“I’m very happy to have come through against such a great champion like her,” she said.

Emma Raducanu now faces Danka Kovinic in the second round of Australian Open 2022 on Thursday. The Briton had played just one competitive match in the last two months, as she returned to action in Sydney last week. Despite the drubbing received at the hands of Elena Rybakina, she remained upbeat regarding her chances at the Australian Open 2022.

Also Read: ‘A comeback from the top draw,’ Aryna Sabalenka survives a ‘huge scare’ to advance into the second round of Australian Open 2022