Emma Raducanu battled a misfiring second serve and visible nerves to come through her first-round match against 26th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Rather like Jack Draper’s win on the same Court Three the previous day, this was far from being a pretty performance from a player whose off-season had been disrupted by injury, and who arrived in Melbourne without any competitive matches.
But Raducanu still deserves huge credit for the way she closed out her 7-6, 7-6 victory over an opponent who possesses real firepower. Right at the end, she clicked into a lovely rhythm to play a perfect second-set tie-break and seal her place in the second round.
At the same time, she lifted Great Britain’s tally of first-round wins here to five – equalling a record that was most recently set in 2017. If Katie Boulter manages to beat Rebecca Marino this afternoon, the count will reach six for the first time.
The statistics from Raducanu’s win – which show that Alexandrova had a far better ratio of winners to unforced errors – tell only part of the story.
Yes, any highlights reel would be full of Alexandrova’s scorching, laser-like backhand down the line. What it wouldn’t show is the way that Raducanu raised her game on the big points, and managed to put the double-faults – all 15 of them – to the back of her mind.
From the start of the match, Raducanu could be seen puffing her cheeks out a lot and telling herself “Come on”. She looked very nervous, and her anxiety manifested in an almost glacial pace between points. As a spectator, your heart was in your mouth every time the ball toss went up.
Thankfully, Raducanu is a tough character. Few of us would have wanted to swap places with her when she stepped up to the service line at 4-3 in the first-set tie-break – the stage of the match at which her serve was at its most chaotic.
But she steeled it out, landed both of her second serves, and let Alexandrova fly a crucial return long. It was an extremely gutsy effort, and that same fighting spirit underpinned this whole performance.
Now Raducanu has a spare day on the practice courts to get working on that recalcitrant second serve. Her next opponent will be world No39 Amanda Anisimova, a three-time visitor to the fourth round here.
Raducanu has never gone past round two in Melbourne, but if she can fix her serving issues, she will make a challenging opponent for anyone.
02:43 AM GMT
Hello second round!
02:37 AM GMT
Raducanu will hope for the same result as the US open back in 2021
What a tiebreak from Emma Raducanu.
US Open 2021 flashbacks tbh
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) January 14, 2025
02:36 AM GMT
Holding her nerve
02:36 AM GMT
Delight for Raducanu
02:28 AM GMT
Norrie struggling
He may have won the first set but Cameron Norrie is now two sets to one down against Italian Matteo Berrettini.
02:27 AM GMT
Up next
Raducanu will take on Amanda Anisimova of the USA in the second round.
02:26 AM GMT
Match summary
First serve: Ekaterina Alexandrova 62%-57% Emma Raducanu
First serve points won: 56%-67%
Winners: 36-22
Unforced errors: 33-30
Break points won: 6/14- 6/10
02:25 AM GMT
Raducanu through to the second round 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-2)
Raducanu starts the tie-break with a stunning forehand down the line to take an early lead. She then wins both points on serve and then the fourth point of the tie-break to go 4-0 up.
Raducanu wins the fifth point with a forehand across the court and is now 5-0 up with two of her own serves to come.
An ace gives her six match points. Yet another Raducanu double fault though just about keeps Alexandrova alive. Alexandrova then plays a neat forehand down the line and is staying alive for now.
But not any longer as Alexandrova hits into the net and Raducanu has booked her place in the second round.
02:18 AM GMT
Raducanu 7-6 (7-4), 6-6 Alexandrova*
Raducanu moves to 40-30 up on serve and has the chance to take us to another tie-break in this match.
But a superb forehand from Alexandrova takes us to deuce.
Alexandrova has set point but her return is long and Raducanu stays alive in this set.
Another poor return gifts advantage to Raducanu, which she takes to take us to the seven-point tie-break.
02:11 AM GMT
Raducanu* 7-6 (7-4), 5-6 Alexandrova
Alexandrova races to the game and now is in a good position to claim the second set when just moments ago it looked like she was about to lose the match.
Raducanu moved to within two points of victory and then lost six of the next seven points. It wasn’t entirely a choke, as Alexandrova found some excellent shots, but there was an element of that nevertheless!
02:07 AM GMT
Raducanu 7-6 (7-4), 5-5 Alexandrova*
Raducanu was 30-0 up on serve and two points away from victory but Alexandrova has won three straight points and now has a crucial break point to stay in this match.
Another Raducanu double fault gifts Alexandrova the break and the game.
02:00 AM GMT
Raducanu* 7-6 (7-4), 5-4 Alexandrova
Alexandrova now suffers a double fault, her third of the match, and this is not the time for her to be doing that.
Raducanu has a break point but cannot take it.
Another double fault, a second of the game, gives Raducanu another break point. Can Alexandrova stay in the game? No she cannot as she goes long and Raducanu will be serving for the match.
Meanwhile not so good news for Raducanu’s fellow Briton Cameron Norrie, who has lost the second set to Matteo Berrettini. It is 1-1 in that match.
01:57 AM GMT
Raducanu 7-6 (7-4), 4-4 Alexandrova*
The double faults continue to occur for Raducanu and she has the perfect chance with a forehand to close out the game but goes long so we go to deuce.
Alexandrova was nearly down and out but goes on to win the game and break Raducanu’s serve. Raducanu will be wondering how on earth she did not win that game and go one game away from the victory.
01:50 AM GMT
Raducanu* 7-6 (7-4), 4-3 Alexandrova
Despite some pressure from Raducanu, Alexandrova plays a delightful backhand to hold serve.
Well the freedom didn’t last long on either side and we just saw a horrible crabby service game from Raducanu which nevertheless ended in an important hold. Raducanu’s hustle and fight have just about kept Alexandrova at bay, to date, even though she is having to soak up a lot of haymakers from her opponent. Big service game coming up at 4-3.
01:46 AM GMT
Raducanu 7-6 (7-4), 4-2 Alexandrova*
Raducanu is now up to 10 double faults in the match and has allowed Alexandrova back into this game. It is difficult to say whether it is nerves, a lack of rhythm or both.
You can now make that 11 as it is back-to-back double faults and Alexandrova has break point. Somehow Alexandrova cannot convert as her shot at the net hits the net! Raducanu will have no idea how she won that point as she was scrambling around but she will not be complaining.
Alexandrova goes long and Raducanu has advantage but then goes long herself. Another double fault and Alexandrova has another shot at a break point but again cannot take it.
Alexandrova hits into the net and it is advantage Raducanu but we go back to deuce with Raducanu constantly under pressure during that point. An ace though sets up another advantage for Raducanu, which this time is taken as Alexandrova goes long. That game lasted more than 11 minutes.
01:33 AM GMT
Raducanu* 7-6 (7-4), 3-2 Alexandrova
Alexandrova holds serve and keeps Raducanu honest.
01:29 AM GMT
Raducanu 7-6 (7-4), 3-1 Alexandrova*
Raducanu goes 40-30 up and has the chance to go 3-1 up in this second set. Alexandrova goes for the backhand across court but her shot is out. Raducanu now has a two-game buffer again in the set.
01:24 AM GMT
Raducanu* 7-6 (7-4), 2-1 Alexandrova
A strong backhand from Raducanu gives her an early 0-15 lead on Alexandrova’s serve but Alexandrova responds with a terrific backhand of her own.
Alexandrova wins the next two points as well to go 40-15 up and sees out the game with a volleyed backhand. She is now on the board in this second set.
Both players looking a bit less stressed in this second set, which might potentially raise the quality of what has been a patchy match. Interesting point from Naomi Broady again – an excellent pundit – who says that you could hear the strain in Raducanu’s first-set grunts. “She plays her best when she’s relaxed.”
01:20 AM GMT
Raducanu 7-6 (7-4), 2-0 Alexandrova*
Raducanu goes to 40-15 up on serve with the opportunity to go 2-0 up in this second set and has it as Alexandrova goes long.
01:17 AM GMT
Raducanu* 7-6 (7-4), 1-0 Alexandrova
Raducanu has the chance of the perfect start to the second start going 15-40 up and two break points on Alexandrova’s serve, although the first of those is gone with an Alexandrova ace.
And the second goes too as Raducanu hits too long to take it to deuce.
Alexandrova looks certain to win the next point but somehow Raducanu just gets her forehand across court in and has a third break point of the game, which this time she takes.
01:12 AM GMT
Norrie going well
Cameron Norrie has won the opening set tie-break against Italian Matteo Berrettini.
01:10 AM GMT
Raducanu wins the first set 7-6 (7-4)
As it has been throughout this first set, the momentum swings one way and then the other.
Just as Raducanu looked to be in command at 4-3 up in this seven-point tie-break, Alexandrova responds to bring it back to 4-4
Raducanu moves to 6-4 up and has two set points.
An impressive return from Raducanu on Alexandrova’s second serve wins her the first set in just over an hour.
Who would want to be Emma Raducanu, standing at the service line at 4-3 in a tie-break, with 3000 people watching and no functioning serve? Just a terrifying prospect, At one stage, her second-serve win percentage was seven per cent! But she toughed it out. Two second serves went in, and the second was hit long by Alexandrova. What a relief. It did have a certain club tennis flavour, though.
01:02 AM GMT
Raducanu 6-6 Alexandrova*
Raducanu needs to win this game or else the set goes to Alexandrova.
She gets off to the perfect start and races to 0-40 with three break points.
Alexandrova saves one but cannot hold serve and Raducanu takes us to a seven-point tie-break.
12:58 AM GMT
Raducanu 5-6 Alexandrova*
A superb backhand down the line after a 16-shot rally gives Alexandrova the shot at the game to go 5-6 up in the first set. She has two break points and Raducanu goes long. Alexandrova has a break and is one service game away again from the opening set.
12:55 AM GMT
Raducanu* 5-5 Alexandrova
Raducanu has two break points to keep this opening set alive and does not even need to hit the ball as Alexandrova double faults. Are the double faults contagious or infectious?
12:51 AM GMT
Raducanu 4-5 Alexandrova*
These double faults are becoming more and more concerning for Raducanu as she is now up to seven and we have not even finished the first set!
Make that eight and it is 0-40, with Alexandrova having three break points.
She wastes the first as her return is straight into the net. Break point number two goes by as a strong Raducanu serve makes it 30-40.
The double fault comes back to haunt Raducanu at just the wrong moment as the third of the game allows Alexandrova to break and she is now one service game away from taking the first set.
Yikes. It’s all about the double-faults: nine of them so far. One wonders whether Raducanu was in the middle of her latest serve reconstruction when the back spasm interrupted her work. As Naomi Broady said on commentary, “It’s a second first serve” rather than an actual second serve with topspin for safety.
12:47 AM GMT
Raducanu* 4-4 Alexandrova
Alexandrova races through that service game without Raducanu winning a point and the first set is well and truly alive.
12:44 AM GMT
Raducanu 4-3 Alexandrova*
Alexandrova is now up to six forehand winners as she goes 15-30 up against the serve. Raducanu has zero forehand winners so far.
But Raducanu responds with her sixth ace, whilst Alexandrova is yet to register on.
Alexandrova has a break point and does not need to even hit the ball as Raducanu’s sixth double fault gives Alexandrova the break.
At times Raducanu has looked brilliant on serve, at others she has looked pretty terrible.
Four straight breaks of serve, as both women show their strong return games. Raducanu tends to send everything sliding in towards the forehand – where it’s taking a pounding, with four return winners already – while Alexandrova has the opposite problem. She likes to push it across into the backhand side – Raducanu’s favourite.
12:40 AM GMT
Raducanu* 4-2 Alexandrova
Alexandrova’s first double fault of the match allows Raducanu to go 15-30 up. Raducanu meanwhile is already up to five double faults and there is still a fair way to go in this first set.
Alexandrova hits the net and Raducanu has the chance to break straight back and she delivers. That is now three straight breaks in the match. She is in a great position to win this first set, so long as she holds serve.
12:35 AM GMT
Raducanu 3-2 Alexandrova*
Raducanu registers another double fault. It has been a real mixture on serve from the Briton; some brilliant aces mixed in with some poor double faults.
Alexandrova has another break point opportunity and this time she takes it. Back-to-back breaks, one for each player.
Meanwhile Cameron Norrie is level 3-3 against Matteo Berrettini.
12:31 AM GMT
Raducanu* 3-1 Alexandrova
Alexandrova has the chance to wrap up the game but hits the net so we go to deuce.
How has Raducanu won that point? Alexandrova looked certain to win it but somehow Raducanu wins the point as Alexandrova hit it miles out.
Can Raducanu capitalise on a break point? Yes she can. Alexandrova goes to a second serve, which Raducanu puts under pressure on her return and all Alexandrova can do is hit the net. First break of the match to Raducanu.
12:25 AM GMT
Raducanu 2-1 Alexandrova*
There have been a few faults from Raducanu early on, perhaps some rustiness from not having played a competitive match in a little while. She suffers another double fault in just her second service game but responds to that with an ace. It is not really a surprise that there is a lack of rhythm in the early stages but it is back-to-back aces to go 40-30 up.
Alexandrova’s return is strong though and takes it to deuce.
After a fault on first service, Alexandrova takes advantage of a tame second serve from Raducanu and has break point but she cannot take it as Raducanu just about takes the point after Alexandrova goes too long.
Another double fault gifts Alexandrova a second break point of the game but Raducanu responds with an ace. It has been pretty strange how topsy turvy Raducanu has been on serve. Despite Alexandrova having two break points in that game, Raducanu manages to hold serve.
Well, what an eventful first three games! Raducanu blowing and puffing her cheeks a lot and telling herself “Come on”. She looks very nervous. And that serve – just like in Malaga in November, she is smacking aces and leaking double-faults with equal regularity. The motion seems to change every time we see her and she is still evolving it. Meanwhile Alexandrova made a strong start, firing return winners. She won’t miss unless you make her hit on the run.
12:16 AM GMT
Raducanu* 1-1 Alexandrova
Alexandrova holds serve with relative ease to level it up in the early stages of the match.
12:13 AM GMT
First Set: Emma Raducanu 1-0 Ekaterina Alexandrova* (*denotes next server)
That is a very nervy start for Raducanu as she begins with a double fault. She took a while over her second serve and then double faulted but she responds by winning the next two points.
However at 30-15 up she suffers her second double fault of this first game of the match.
Alexandrova hits a superb return at 30-30 to move to break point. But Raducanu hits an ace at exactly the right moment.
Blowing out a few cobwebs but Raducanu holds on her serve to take the first game.
12:08 AM GMT
Here we go
We are ready for action. Can Raducanu book her place in the second round or will she fall at the first hurdle?
Good morning from Melbourne. It’s a lovely day here, maybe around 20 degrees with a light breeze. Good tennis conditions. Every seat on Court Three is taken and there are queues at the doors as well. Tough draw for Raducanu but not an insuperable one, in theory. Should be a fascinating contest.
12:02 AM GMT
Ready to go
The sun is out in Melbourne and Emma Raducanu is about to get started on court three against Ekaterina Alexandrova for a place in the second round.
11:50 PM GMT
Nearly time for action
11:41 PM GMT
Norrie also in action
Starting at the same time as Raducanu’s match, fellow Briton Cameron Norrie gets his Australian Open campaign gets under way at the KIA Arena as he takes on Italian Matteo Berrettini for a place in the second round. We will provide updates on that match.
11:39 PM GMT
Australian Open predictions
Our experts have been assessing the prospects of the seven British players set to compete in Melbourne and predict who will make the headlines Down Under.
11:32 PM GMT
Raducanu warns Littler over new-found superstardom
Emma Raducanu has advised Luke Littler, her successor as Britain’s most famous teenage sports star, to block out all the noise that comes with precocious success.
By winning the World Darts Championship at 17, Littler has undercut even Raducanu’s extraordinary triumph at the 2021 US Open, when she was just three months short of her 19th birthday.
In many ways, Raducanu’s career could be seen as a cautionary tale. She has not gone past the fourth round of a major since, and spent the initial months – or arguably years – after her breakthrough coming to terms with her sudden prominence.
For more from Simon Briggs, click here.
11:22 PM GMT
Schedule and full draw details
From the latest odds, to the prize money to the draw, we have you covered. You can find out all the details right here.
11:16 PM GMT
Raducanu bitten by jumping ants
Emma Raducanu has become the latest victim of Australia’s famously hostile wildlife – although it was not spiders or snakes in her case, but rather “jumping ants”.
During a day off practice ahead of the Australian Open in Melbourne, Raducanu suffered bites on her hand and ankle on Thursday that swelled up and left her considering whether to use an antiseptic spray.
But her anxieties about possible contamination – which has been cited in the recent doping defences of such leading players as Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek – persuaded her to “tough it out because I don’t want to risk it”.
Our tennis correspondent Simon Briggs has the full story from Melbourne.
11:10 PM GMT
Victories for Britons Fearnley and Draper
23-year-old Jacob Fearnley is through to the second round after beating home favourite Nick Kyrgios 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, 7-6 (7-2). It was Fearnley’s first overseas grand slam tournament match and Kyrgios’ first appearance at his home grand slam tournament since 2022. Fearnley will play France’s Arthur Cazaux in the next round.
British number one Jack Draper is also through to the second round after a hard-fought victory over Argentine Mariano Navone 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in a match that lasts just over four hours. Draper will face Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second round.
11:04 PM GMT
Preview
2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu gets her Australian Open campaign going tonight as she takes on 26th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round. She goes into this tournament having not played competitively since playing at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in November. Her preparations have been disrupted by back spasms which forced her to withdraw from the recent Auckland Open. In the build-up to her first round match, Raducanu feels she is in a good place heading into the first grand slam tournament of the year.
“I feel good. I feel healthy and feel I have been training well. I am prepared and ready to go,” said Raducanu. “I think I can be a dangerous opponent for anyone really. You have to kind of have that belief as a player. It is not really worth going on court if you do not believe you can win.”
To prepare herself for the Australian Open, Raducanu has been practicing against the likes of Elena Rybakina and Caroline Garcia.
“Stepping out with them is great. To see and measure your game and where it is at. This week I have played with really top players and felt good on the court. I did not feel I was out of my depth at all. It definitely gives me confidence but it is another thing putting it on the match court.”
Raducanu, who is currently ranked 60th in the world, has never got past the second round at the Australian Open having been knocked out at that stage in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Last year she beat Shelby Rogers in straight sets in the first round before being knocked out by Wang Yafan in the second round.
30-year-old Alexandrova has never got past the third round at the Australian Open and fell in the first round last year to Laura Siegemund despite being seeded 17th going into the tournament.
Her match is set to get under way on court three at 12am UK time.
