Emma Raducanu has broken her Australian Open duck.
“Fourth time lucky,” the 22-year-old wrote on the camera lens after securing a 6-3 7-5 upset over Amanda Anisimova at Kia Arena.
MORE: All the results from Australian Open
“This is a slam that I love playing at, so to make it past the second round means a lot to me,” said the popular Brit, who has fallen at that hurdle in each of her three previous trips down under.
“She’s such an amazing opponent [and] had so many big wins, so I knew I really had to fight hard, raise my game and not go away in the second set even when the chips were down,” she said.
Though she trailed Anisimova 1-3 in the opening set and 0-3 in the second, Raducanu was clutch under pressure, successfully converting eight of ten break points. Importantly, she fended off eight of the thirteen she faced.
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The Londoner, who appeared relaxed in tense moments, explained her positive approach. “I think sometimes it’s better to kind of breathe it off, laugh it off, rather than get stressed out,” she said.
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The 2021 US Open champion received congratulations for her victory over Anisimova from compatriot Andy Murray, the five-time AO singles finalist turned coach to longtime rival Novak Djokovic.
Consistency and an improved defensive game also played a part on Thursday. Anisimova, ranked 26 spots higher than Raducanu, dictated much of the match by striking 39 winners but was undone by 44 unforced errors.
“She hits one of the cleanest balls I think on the tour, so powerful,” Raducanu said of her good friend.
The world No.61 , who knocked out 26th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round, admitted she competed through pain against Anisimova, but played down the severity of a potential back issue. Instead, she’ll aim to recover well and cause yet another upset on Saturday when she takes on second seed Iga Swiatek.
Raducanu said she’s looking forward to taking on the 23-year-old Pole, a five-time major champion whom she hasn’t beaten in three attempts.
“Ultimately, you play tennis, and you live for these matches, it’s going to be a great buzz of adrenaline,” she grinned.
“Every match I can play against these top opponents, I’m loving it – it’s another opportunity to test my game, see where I’m at,” she said. “I have nothing to lose and I’m just going to swing, I’m going to give it my best.”
Elsewhere, sixth seed Elena Rybakina dropped serve for the first time at AO 2025, but dispatched 17-year-old American wildcard Iva Jovic 6-0 6-3.
“My serve was not working really well,” acknowledged the Kazakh, who placed four aces and landed just 49 per cent of first serves in part due to windy conditions.
Her countrywoman Yulia Putintseva, the 24th seed, secured a berth into the round of 32 with a 6-2 6-1 win over wildcard Zhang Shuai, a quarterfinalist at AO 2016.
Also moving into the third round are eighth seed Emma Navarro, who recovered from a 2-4 deficit in the deciding set to triumph 6-3 3-6 6-4 over Wang Xiyu; ninth seed Daria Kasatkina, who dominated Wang Yafan 6-2 6-0; and Tunisian star Ons Jabeur, who defeated Camila Osorio 7-5 6-3.
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