British tennis star Emma Raducanu is set to make her Australian Open debut later this week.
The 19-year-old will compete in only the third Grand Slam of her career, four months after her improbable victory at the US Open in September.
Raducanu became the first qualifier to ever win a Grand Slam at the US Open – winning 10 games in a row without dropping a set during the tournament.
It was the first time a female British tennis player had won a major since Virginia Wade in 1977.
Despite starting last year ranked 343rd in the world, Raducanu ended it ranked inside the world’s top 20. She is currently the world number 18.
Raducanu has endured a difficult start to 2022, in part due to a positive COVID-19 result in December.
She was forced to withdraw from the Melbourne Summer Set as a result of her period in isolation, before losing 6-0, 6-1 to Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the opening round of the Sydney Tennis Classic.
Raducanu claimed she would be able to “brush off” the heavy defeat, and she has since been in full preparation mode for her opening match at the Australian Open.
When is Emma Raducanu’s first match at the Australian Open?
Raducanu will get her Australian Open campaign underway tomorrow (January 18th). The match is scheduled for 9pm in Melbourne, or 10am in the UK.
The match will be held at the Margaret Court Arena.
Who is Emma Raducanu playing in the opening round of the Australian Open?
Raducanu is set to come up against Sloane Stephens. The American star is a former world number three and triumphed at the US Open since 2017. She also reached the 2018 French Open final.
Stephens has struggled on the biggest stage since then, however. She has only progressed to the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam once in 11 appearances since Roland-Garros in 2018.
The 28-year-old has now slipped down to world number 67 and is yet to play in a tournament on the WTA Tour this year.
Who could Emma Raducanu play next?
If Raducanu is to overcome Stephens, her second round tie would be slightly kinder.
She would be drawn against either Danka Kovinić of Montenegro or South Korean qualifier Jang Su-jeong. Kovinić is ranked 98th in the world, while Jang is outside of the top 200.
The pair are set to play tomorrow as well, a few hours before Raducanu takes on Stephens.
How can I watch Emma Raducanu’s first match at the Australian Open?
The Australian Open will be broadcast live in the UK on Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2.
Subscribers can stream Eurosport’s coverage online via the website and Eurosport app, as well as the Sky Go app for Sky customers subscribed to the Eurosport channels.
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