"It's a great step forward for me to win my first match here"- Emma Raducanu after 1R win over Sloane Stephens at 2022 Australian Open
Emma Raducanu beat fellow US Open champion Sloane Stephens 6-0, 2-6, 6-1 in the first round of the 2022 Australian Open on Tuesday. The 17th seed, who is making her first appearance at Melbourne Park, will take on Danka Kovinic in the second round on Thursday.
In her post-match press conference, Raducanu said clinching her maiden win in Australia was a "great step forward" in her career. She revealed she was pleased with her level of play and how she executed her plans, especially considering her lack of match practice leading up to the tournament.
The Brit, who tested positive for COVID-19 late in 2021, had to delay her start to the season. She launched her campaign at the Sydney Tennis Classic, where she lost her opening-round match to Elena Rybakina.
"I think it's a great step forward for me to come out here and win my first match here in Australia against, Sloane who is a tough opponent to have first round," Raducanu said. "I haven't had many matches, so I'm very happy that I was able to put that level out there so early on. I definitely wanted to go out there and start playing aggressively and start putting my game on the court."
Raducanu went on to recall the time she came to the Australian Open as a junior and exited in the first round. She revealed that winning her first match at the Melbourne Major "means a lot" to her and that she was looking forward to building upon this start.
"It meant a lot, for sure. It's my first win in Australia in a Grand Slam. I came here when I played the juniors and I lost first round, so to come out here and get my first win, I was very, very happy. I'm just looking forward to building on this, going forward, trying to recover as best as I can for my next match," she added.
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The 19-year-old was made to work hard by Stephens in their first-round match. The American hit back strongly after losing the first set, forcing Raducanu to play a deciding set at a Grand Slam for the first time in her career.
The Brit, on her part, feels prevailing in intense three-setters adds to her experience.
"I think 2022 is all about learning for me," the Brit said. "Being in those situations of winning a set and then having to fight in a decider is definitely all just accumulating into a bank of experience that I can tap into later on down the line. Yeah, very happy that today I can add to that."
"It will be a good experience learning from that" - Emma Raducanu on playing a late-night match
Emma Raducanu, whose match ended minutes shy of midnight, revealed that she is learning to adapt to late finishes. During her presser, she pointed out that the match ended way past her bedtime, and that she would not be able to sleep too soon due to the persisting adrenaline.
"I mean, it's way past my bedtime right now," Raducanu said. "I think that it's something I'm also learning about, you know, myself and what works for me, dealing with those late finishes and the night matches and maybe not being able to get to sleep as early because of the adrenaline you're running on. I think it will be a good experience learning from that."