Reuters
Britain's Emma Raducanu celebrates winning [Source: Reuters]
A rusty Emma Raducanu said her serve felt like it had a mind of its own at times as she racked up 15 double faults in a 7-6(4) 7-6(2) first-round victory over Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova at the Australian Open.
The 22-year-old Briton, who has dealt with a string of injuries since capturing her only Grand Slam title at the 2021 U.S. Open, returned to action for the first time since November with her win over the 26th seed at Melbourne Park.
Raducanu has often struggled to get going after returning from spells away from the game but she was surprised by how her serve misbehaved, with one of her double faults coming as she held a 30-0 lead when serving for the match.
Raducanu, who missed five tournaments on the WTA’s Asian swing with sprained ligaments in her foot before missing a tune-up event in Auckland with a back problem, was pleased that was able to grind out the win.
Raducanu next faces 23-year-old American Amanda Anisimova, another player who has been exposed to the spotlight at a young age after reaching the French Open semi-finals in 2019.
