How riverside walk & a nap set up Raducanu for dominant Melbourne win

Emma Raducanu might be a Grand Slam champion but she still finds herself entering relatively unknown territory from time to time.

The challenge she faced with her Australian Open first-round match against Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew was a rare late start.

But it ended up being a relatively early finish – at least by Melbourne Park standards – as the British number one grew in confidence to wrap up a 6-4 6-1 victory before 11pm local time.

Raducanu had only previously played one other night match at a major. That was the 2021 US Open semi-final, on her way to the title which she will forever be remembered for.

So the 23-year-old had to think carefully about how to tailor her routine and started her day with a “potter around” Melbourne’s bustling riverside area.

“I had a very chill breakfast, walked around for 45 minutes, walked back, had treatment, a chat with the team, then took a nap and came in,” she explained.

“I came in [to Melbourne Park] at 5:30pm, started with my routines and practised at 6pm.

“I’m a night owl, but not to play.”

Raducanu arrived on court shortly after 9pm, growing in confidence after a sluggish start where errors flew off her racquet.

Waiting around all day is not unusual for most players.

Raducanu’s compatriot Cameron Norrie described having a “very tricky day” himself, arriving on site at 10am thinking he would play about 2:30pm.

The two matches before Norrie’s first-round match ended up going long, meaning he did not start until 6pm and eventually came through a five-set battle with France’s Benjamin Bonzi shortly before Raducanu won.

“I’ve been trying to train myself to be better in the night,” said Raducanu.

“That’s half the battle for me, to be honest – how to arrange the day, when to switch on and when to switch off.

“I’ve gone through a few trials of what works and what doesn’t work.

“I actually felt really good before the match. It helped that the match before didn’t take very long so I wasn’t on too late.”

Raducanu had previously questioned the logic of scheduling a men’s best-of-five-set match on the same court before her.

Expecting a late start, Raducanu booked a late-night training session on Saturday to prepare for the cooler, slower night-time conditions.

But it was an earlier start than she anticipated, with 10th seed Alexander Bublik claiming a commanding straight-set win over American Jenson Brooksby in just over two hours.

Seeded at a major for the first time since the 2022 US Open, Raducanu had sluggish movement and uncertainty in her shots as Sawangkaew threatened to go a double break ahead.

Errors flew off her racquet as a result. But the 28th seed eventually found her rhythm, reeling off seven games in a row to turn the match in her favour.

By the end, she was finding the time to dictate the points and unleash heavy forehands.

“Maybe I made a few errors thinking I had to do a bit too much early on,” said Raducanu.

“I was just very happy with how I kept competing. It was a really important game at 2-4 to hold, having saved a couple break points at 15-40.

“After that I think it was a combination of me finding my feet, my movement, dominating a bit more and also a few errors from her.”

Raducanu will face Austrian Anastasia Potapova next, with world number one Aryna Sabalenka potentially lying in wait in the third round.

Raducanu made encouraging progress in 2025, climbing back into the world’s top 30 and playing more matches than in any previous season of her career.

However, the off-season technical work she planned to put in with coach Francisco Roig – who helped Rafael Nadal win 16 of his 22 major titles – was hampered by a foot injury.

She arrived in Melbourne with just one win under her belt and, in her last game before the first major of the year, she fell to a chastening defeat by world number 204 Taylah Preston in Hobart.

It briefly looked like another upset could be on the cards for Raducanu as Sawangkaew – making her Grand Slam main draw debut – sparked to life in the opening few games, overwhelming Raducanu with aggressive returns and clever net play.

She broke the Briton in the third game and had a chance for a 4-1 lead, but Raducanu replied with a handful of brilliant winners to avoid falling further behind.

Raducanu’s momentum gathered from there and she struck back to level the set at 4-4 before breaking again to take the opener.

She continued to overpower the Thai player, hitting 17 winners to Sawangkaew’s nine and winning 27 of the 40 points on offer in the second set – and she sealed victory in style with an ace.

“I feel very happy to have got through the match. From the beginning I thought she was playing incredibly well,” Raducanu added.

“I’m really proud how I fought back in the first set.”