Emma Raducane and Cameron Norrie win Australian Open.

Emma Radukhanu made a strong comeback from injury to advance to the second round of the Australian Open with a straight sets win.

On the opening day in Melbourne, the British number one defeated Germany’s Tamara Colpatsch 6-3, 6-2.

The 20-year-old Radukhanu twisted her ankle 11 days ago in Auckland and her beaming smile after her victory showed relief at passing her first test. rice field.

British men’s number one Cameron Norrie also made progress in straight sets.

The 11th-seed Norry defeated wildcard French teenager Luca van Assche 7-6 (7-3) 6-0 6-3 to lose the first round for the second time after five tries. became. The left-handed 27-year-old quickly turned around after losing Saturday’s Auckland final to veteran Frenchman Richard Gasquet.

“I was nervous, but I was able to relax and finish a tough game in the second set. I’m not at my best level, but I’m going to improve,” said Rafael Nadal in the United Cup earlier this month. Norrie said after defeating him for the biggest win of his career.

“I enjoyed the match after that difficult first set.”

Nory and Raducane are the only two British players to have won at Melbourne Park, with Raducane set to face world No. 7 American Coco Gauff in the second round.

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Rising star Jack Draper lost to Spain’s Rafael Nadal while Kyle Edmund lost to Italy’s 15th seed Yannick Sinner 6-4, 6-0, 6-2.

Edmund, 28, reached the semifinals in 2018 but is looking to rebuild his career after a knee injury that required three surgeries before returning to the tour last year.

Edmund, who uses protected rankings, had another difficult draw at a Grand Slam after facing eventual runner-up Casper Ruud at last year’s US Open.

Britain’s only women’s singles representative Harriet Dart lost to No. 32 seed Jill Teichmann of Switzerland 7-5, 6-1.

The 18-year-old Gauff is one of the favorites to win the women’s singles at her Melbourne park in her first match, beating Czech opponent Katerina her senior Kova 6-1 6-4. One person. Gauff’s doubles partner and first-time major singles title favorite, Jessica Pegula, made an even bigger statement with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Romania’s Jacqueline Cristian in 59 minutes.

Raducanu is off to a good start, but bigger challenges lie ahead.
When Radukhanu walked off the pitch in Oakland in tears, it looked unlikely she would make it to her first major of the season.

Her physical problems have plagued Britt ever since she won the 2021 US Open, catapulting her into superstardom as a qualifier in her teens. She has been working hard to build her physique to withstand the rigors of her WTA Tour in preseason after beating her Jez Green, who hired Murray’s former fitness trainer Andy. I was. .

It was a nasty blow when she twisted her left ankle in what she called a “freak accident.” Radukhanu’s movement improved throughout the week in training at Melbourne Park, but the only real clues to her condition were during the match.

“Everything I’ve done in the past week has been very controlled,” she explained.

“So I had to test it in a real match and it was unpredictable and I got used to it at first. It felt good.

“I know it’s there, and it sort of eases the tension.

“That’s because I was on the pitch and the team did well. This is a big achievement for all of us.”

Radukhanu at first had to reach for his backhand side and put weight on his injured leg, which made him look alarmed.

After a shaky start peppered with unforced errors, the pair exchanged five service breaks before Raducanu gained confidence.

The 27-year-old is one place ahead of Radukhanu, but she lacks Radukhanu’s pedigree and made her Australian Open debut in the main draw.

Better on clay and looking nervous throughout, the German’s double set her point for the match for Raducane, and when Kolpaccz hit her with a long forehand, the match ended for her. scored points. Raducanu celebrated with a spin on the pitch but knows she faces a tougher test when she faces Gauff on Wednesday

“She wants to enjoy the struggle to get here,” said Radukhanu.

“If anything, it’s more physical, just playing around and seeing what happens.”