By Ros Satar
- Emma Raducanu [17] def. Sloane Stephens 6-0 2-6 6-1
- Raducanu v Danka Kovinic
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – Emma Raducanu silenced some of her critics with a win over Sloane Stephens, to advance to the second round of the Australian Open.
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Emma Raducanu [17] def. Sloane Stephens 6-0 2-6 6-1
It is fair to say that after the fairy-tale of her US Open run, to winning the BBC Sports Personality of the Year and MBE in the New Year’s Honours list, Emma Raducanu’s return to the tour hit some bumps. Abu Dhabi Covid, an opening loss after pulling out of the season opener, so when the draw came out few thought she would be able to make an impact.
Sloane Stephens is a long way short of the kind of form that saw her make two Slam finals and win the US Open. The first set was as though Raducanu picked up from the end of the US Open with no qualms as she ripped through the set, denying Stephens any kind of rhythm to open up the court or get moving around it.
The second set saw Stephens almost look as though she had finally warmed up and was ready to go, and every shot garnered some reaction from Raducanu – either a victorious fist pump or a slap on the leg in frustration.
The deciding set saw a lot of nervousness from both players, and in fairness the one-sided score-line doesn’t fully reflect the battle that unfolded.
H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Emma Raducanu [17] v Danke Kovinic | H2H: First Meeting |
| Australian Open | Melbourne, Australia |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: A$154,000 |
| First night match on Margaret Court Arena from 7pm (8am GMT) | Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for Discovery+ via Amazon Prime |
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2021 – Hard)
| H2H: | Emma Raducanu (WR 18) | Danke Kovinic (WR 98) |
| Tournament Previous Best | Debut | R2 (2016-17) |
| 1st Serve Return Points Won % | 41.7 | 36.9 |
| Return Points Won % | 42.7 | 43.8 |
| Break Point Conversion % | 75 | 36 |
| Break Points Saved % | 55.6 | 54.3 |
| Total Points Won % | 48.4 | 51.2 |
Even though Kovinic has played more, Raducanu tops most of their stats even though she is still relatively inexperienced both on the tour in general and also at this level.
Playing Styles & Prediction
Expect the cover of the ball to get a battering as both love to play aggressively. Kovinic has learned to love the long rally, and Raducanu can expect to be made to work a lot for her points.
What we did see in Raducanu’s first round match is that she was really focussing on taking the ball on the rise, and she effectively shut down Stephens’ rhythm and will look to do the same for Kovinic
Prediction: Raducanu in three sets.
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How to Watch/Follow the Australian Open 2022
| TV | Discovery+, Eurosport
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