Raducanu joked her serve had “a mind of its own” after she battled her way to victory over 26th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova despite 15 double faults
Emma Raducanu is into the Australian Open second round after surviving a whopping 15 double faults in her opening round win.
The British No.2 debuted a new service action and duly had her serve broken six times, while winning only one of her first 15 points on her second serve, but also fired nine aces to beat No.26 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova to win 7-6 7-6. A remarkable match saw 12 breaks of serve.
“I’m not sure what I changed in my serve today,” said Raducanu. “I think it had a mind of its own.”
The 22-year-old has been working to improve her serve with coach Nick Cavaday, but it is certainly not where she wants it yet. But she still became the record-equalling fifth British singles player to reach round two.
“I’m very pleased to have come through that match,” said Raducanu. “It was difficult. It was quite hot out there, getting quite sunny. Obviously playing against a really experienced and seeded opponent who is playing great tennis. I think I’m very proud of how I fought and how I overcame certain situations in that match.
“I mean, honestly, I’m not sure what I changed in my serve today. I think it had a mind of its own! I will be sure to reflect, look at that and come back to you.”
Raducanu raced to a 6-0 lead in the second set tiebreak with an ace and then sent down a final double fault.
“One more was the cherry on the top,” she laughed. “It is uncomfortable for sure. The key to dealing with it mentally I think was accepting the situation. I think in the first set I was hitting a lot of good first serves. I hit a few aces. In the same time I was hitting a double-fault. I was, like, quite accepting that, Okay, I’m at least going for it. I’m just very proud that I didn’t let it affect me too much and let the match run away from me. I am going to get into practice tomorrow to see where I can improve and hopefully get under 15 double faults in the next round!”
The former US Open showed her class in both tiebreaks – and she has now won eight consecutive tiebreaks dating back to last April.
“I think that is a part of my game that is one of my strengths,” Raducanu said. “When it gets to those clutch moments, I mean I relish playing in that. There’s obviously a lot of nerves. If you channel it and use it as excitement and buzz… I played two great tiebreaks in the first round of Wimbledon this year. Last year I played a very good tiebreak.
“It’s good to have that confidence in big moments. At the same time, tiebreaks can go either way. It’s never a good thing to just rely on your tiebreak. You would ideally close it out. But when it comes to it, it doesn’t always go your way. It’s good to just have that confidence.
“There is also the adrenaline in those moments. I love adrenaline in all aspects of my life. And when that moment comes around, I feel regret if you are passive or take things off the shots. Then afterwards, if you lose the set, you are probably kicking yourself and thinking: Why didn’t I go for it. Maybe part of it is that.
“I feel that always growing up had a good strength when it gets tight. I love speed of course. But I think a moment at 6-6 – the crowd support today was unbelievable, I couldn’t quite believe it. I was loving They were getting really involved in the match which is great.”
The world No.61 faces American Amanda Anisimova in the next round.