Tennis Jan 21, 2026

Emma Raducanu eager to 'improve a lot more' after Australian Open first-round win over Mananchaya Sawangkaew

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
Emma Raducanu eager to 'improve a lot more' after Australian Open first-round win over Mananchaya Sawangkaew

Emma Raducanu was thrilled with her straight-sets win in the opening round of the Australian Open on Sunday, but insists she can "improve a lot more".

After a slow start to the match against Thailand's world No 195 Mananchaya Sawangkaew, Raducanu won 10 of the final 11 games to cruise to a 6-4, 6-1 victory.

The 23-year-old had a rushed build-up for the tournament because of injury, only returning to the court in late December as a result of a foot problem that had lingered since the end of last season.

"Having only had two weeks out here of playing, I'm happy with the level and happy with the speed at how I've kind of found my feet on the match court," Raducanu said.

"It gives me confidence that if I keep doing the right things, put chunks of work in and good blocks of practice, I can improve a lot more."

Raducanu rallied back from 3-1 down, facing two break points at 15-40 on her own serve, in the opening set and credited the support of one Australian super-fan in the stands as helping inspire her comeback.

"Apparently, Down Under. I've got Raddo," she said of her new nickname. "Never heard that before. Pretty original!

"Obviously I loved the support. I thought it was great on both sides. To have that on my side, in the big moments, it was a good spur of encouragement.

"He can come to any match. I just need to try to locate him. I hope he comes back."

Raducanu admitted she too was trying to be a bit more vocal out on the court during her evening-session match which started not long before 9.45pm local time in Melbourne.

"When you're playing in the first round, you're inevitably nervous," Raducanu added.

"It's a slam, a big match and your opponent is playing very well. It's late at night, and so to keep the energy high, to keep motivation, I think it was good for me to just stay positive, stay upbeat.

"I think it did help me. When I'm at my best competing, I'm not completely quiet.

"It depends on the day. Today I felt like that would help me."

Much stiffer tests await for the British No 1, with Russian-turned-Austrian Anastasia Potapova lying in wait next, and potentially world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the third round.

Of her next opponent, the world No 55, who she'll play on Wednesday, Raducanu said: "I remember Anastasia always being the player to watch and beat through juniors.

"She's been very highly-ranked as well in the pros. She got a really tough match today so that must give her a lot of confidence.

"A big hitter. I know it's going to be a really tricky one. I need to just gather my strength and prepare as best as possible for the next match."

Watch the ATP and WTA Tours, live on Your Site or and the , giving Your Site customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost.

Tags:

tennis news

Share this article

Related Posts

Emma Raducanu: British No 1 makes winning start at Australian Open against world No 195 Mananchaya Sawangkaew

Emma Raducanu: British No 1 makes winning start at Australian Open against world No 195 Mananchaya Sawangkaew

Emma Raducanu sealed a fine first-round win at the Australian Open by defeating Thailand's world No 195 Mananchaya Sawangkaew on opening Sunday.Raduca...

Australian Open: Britain's Arthur Fery records statement first-round win over Wimbledon quarter-finalist Flavio Cobolli

Australian Open: Britain's Arthur Fery records statement first-round win over Wimbledon quarter-finalist Flavio Cobolli

Britain's world No 186 Arthur Fery recorded a statement first-round win over Wimbledon quarter-finalist Flavio Cobolli on his Australian Open debut.Th...

Australian Open: Venus Williams loses at 45 years old in first round after leading Olga Danilovic 4-0 in final set

Australian Open: Venus Williams loses at 45 years old in first round after leading Olga Danilovic 4-0 in final set

Venus Williams came agonisingly close to claiming a first Grand Slam win since 2021, at the age of 45, only to lose out to Olga Danilovic as she ralli...

Australian ​Open: Coco Gauff starts quest for maiden title in style as Amanda Anisimova wins but Brit Fran Jones retires injured

Australian ​Open: Coco Gauff starts quest for maiden title in style as Amanda Anisimova wins but Brit Fran Jones retires injured

Coco Gauff started her quest for a maiden Australian Open title in style as Amanda Anisimova strolled into the second round but Brit Fran Jones was fo...

Tennis 2026 schedule, Grand Slam dates and tournament calendar for ATP and WTA Tours

Tennis 2026 schedule, Grand Slam dates and tournament calendar for ATP and WTA Tours

Keep track of the dates, tournament calendar and latest results for the 2026 ATP and WTA Tours.Live tennis is available all year on Your Site while no...

Australian Open: Order of Play with Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff in action

Australian Open: Order of Play with Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff in action

The Australian Open is back from midnight with Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek and Nick Kyrgios headlining Thursday's action at Melbourne P...