Emma’s luck finally turns as she proves her fitness and lands kind draw
POSITIVE practice followed by an Australian Open draw that should bring back some happy memories — things may finally be looking up for Emma Raducanu.
Shelby Rogers was the opponent who, in September 2021, kicked off the most extraordinary week of Raducanu’s life by subsiding in their US Open fourth-round match, paving the way for her landmark run all the way to the title.
They meet again in the Melbourne first round after Raducanu proved her fitness with a near two-hour practice session against fellow Brit Lily Miyazaki.
Working under the eye of coach Nick Cavaday, who has assumed charge after mentor Jane O’Donoghue flew home from New Zealand, the 21-year-old had no strapping on her leg and was able to play full on, despite pulling out of two exhibition commitments this week.
Rogers is not the player she was in 2021. The 31-year-old American has not played since Wimbledon, suffering a long-term abdominal muscle problem. During the hiatus, she also got married.
If Raducanu plays anything like she did against former world No 3 Elina Svitolina in New Zealand last week, she will have an excellent chance of progressing.
The Briton’s performance against the Ukrainian caught the eye of her fellow former US Open champion Andy Roddick. ‘The first couple of sets were extremely high quality,’ the American told Betway.com.
The seven British players who qualified directly for Melbourne could be happy with their draws, although Andy Murray has been paired against the No 30 seed, Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry, who had a career-best season in 2023.