Emma Raducanu Navigates Late-Night Challenge, Powers into Australian Open Second Round
Emma Raducanu may be a Grand Slam champion, but even for her, some situations still feel like new territory. Monday night in Melbourne was one of those moments - a rare late-night start under the lights of Rod Laver Arena. But once she settled in, Raducanu showed exactly why she remains one of the most intriguing names in tennis.
Facing Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew in the first round of the Australian Open, Raducanu overcame a shaky start and found her groove, closing out a 6-4, 6-1 win just before 11 p.m. local time. It was only the second night match she’s played at a major - the first being a rather memorable one: her 2021 US Open semifinal en route to that stunning title run.
So, how do you prepare for a match that doesn’t start until after most people have had dinner? For Raducanu, it meant easing into the day. She took a relaxed walk along Melbourne’s Yarra River, had a calm breakfast, got some treatment, chatted with her team, and even squeezed in a nap before heading to Melbourne Park around 5:30 p.m. for her pre-match routines.
“I’m a night owl,” she said with a smile, “but not to play.”
That honesty - and self-awareness - is part of what makes Raducanu so compelling. She knows her strengths, but she’s also open about the parts of the tour that still challenge her.
Managing long days of waiting, for example, is something most pros have to master. Her compatriot Cameron Norrie experienced it firsthand earlier in the day, arriving at 10 a.m. expecting to play mid-afternoon, only to finally take the court around 6 p.m. and battle through a five-setter.
For Raducanu, the key was preparation. Expecting a late start, she had booked a night training session earlier in the week to adjust to the cooler, slower evening conditions.
But as it turned out, she got on court earlier than anticipated. Alexander Bublik’s straight-set win over Jenson Brooksby wrapped up in just over two hours, opening the door for Raducanu’s match to begin shortly after 9 p.m.
Early on, it looked like the 28th seed might be in trouble. Sawangkaew, making her Grand Slam main draw debut, came out swinging.
She broke Raducanu in the third game and had a look at a double break lead. The Brit’s movement was tentative, her timing off, and unforced errors piled up.
“I maybe made a few errors thinking I had to do a bit too much early on,” Raducanu admitted.
But then came the turning point - a gritty hold at 2-4 down, saving break points at 15-40. That game steadied her, and from there, she caught fire.
Raducanu reeled off seven straight games, flipping the match on its head. Her footwork sharpened, her forehand found its range, and she began to dictate rallies with purpose.
“I was just very happy with how I kept competing,” she said. “It was a really important game at 2-4 to hold. After that, I think it was a combination of me finding my feet, my movement, dominating a bit more, and also a few errors from her.”
By the second set, Raducanu was in full control. She struck 17 winners to Sawangkaew’s nine and won 27 of the 40 points played in the set. She sealed the win with an ace - a confident exclamation point on a performance that started rocky but ended with authority.
This win marks another step forward in Raducanu’s ongoing rebuild. After a 2025 season that saw her climb back into the top 30 and log her most match wins in a single year, she entered Melbourne with renewed optimism.
But her off-season didn’t go exactly to plan. A foot injury limited the technical work she had hoped to do with coach Francisco Roig, the longtime mentor of Rafael Nadal.
And her lead-up results were shaky. She came into the Australian Open with just one win in 2026 and was coming off a tough loss to world No.
204 Taylah Preston in Hobart. So when Sawangkaew came out firing, there was a brief moment where it looked like another early exit might be brewing.
But Raducanu steadied herself. She adjusted, adapted, and ultimately imposed her game on the match. That’s the kind of growth you look for in a player trying to reestablish herself among the elite.
Next up is Austria’s Anastasia Potapova in the second round - a step up in competition. And looming beyond that?
A potential third-round clash with world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
But one match at a time. For now, Raducanu can take pride in how she handled the moment - the long wait, the slow start, the pressure of expectation - and came through it all with a convincing win.
“I feel very happy to have got through the match,” she said. “From the beginning I thought she was playing incredibly well. I’m really proud of how I fought back in the first set.”
It’s not just about winning - it’s about how you respond when things don’t go your way. On Monday night, Raducanu passed that test with flying colors.