Australian Open: Confident Emma Raducanu beats Shelby Rogers to cruise into second round

Emma Raducanu made a confident return to Grand Slam tennis with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Shelby Rogers in the first round of the Australian Open.

In today’s match-up between two players returning from injury, Raducanu looked more in rhythm from the outset, showing little signs of rust from her lengthy lay-off.

She will face tougher tests in 2024, but it was an encouraging start in her first Grand Slam match since last year’s exit at the Australian Open, exactly 12 months to the day, against Coco Gauff.

It proved a strong day all round for British players after the previous exits of Andy Murray and Jodie Burrage. Raducanu is joined in the second round of the women’s draw by Katie Boulter, who beat Yuan Yue 7-5, 7-6.

Also into round two are Jack Draper, who needed to have his blood pressure taken mid-match and vomited in a bin after beating Marcos Giron in his first career five-setter, and Cameron Norrie, a winner in straight sets against Juan Pablo Varillas.

Because of a litany of injuries, Raducanu had played just eight matches since her last Melbourne appearance before undergoing surgery on both her wrists and an ankle.

There had been a concern her participation at the first Grand Slam of the season was in doubt when she pulled out of two exhibition matches in the city, despite her team insisting it was simply a precaution after such a long spell on the sidelines.

But she laid those fears to rest with a performance rich in aggression and giving little indication that this was just her second match in nine months.

The 2021 US Open champion had been a shadow of her former self on and off court prior to her triple surgery, but she has cut a confident figure Down Under on her return to the tour, joking ahead of the Australian Open that her biggest concern was having scuppered her career as a hand model with the scars on her wrist from the surgeries back in May.

Coached by her childhood charge Nick Cavaday in Melbourne — a relationship which could yet extend beyond the Australian Open on the evidence of this performance — Raducanu got the required break in the opening set, which she wrapped up in 37 minutes.

Break two came in the opening service game of set two as Rogers, out since Wimbledon and having also got married during her lay-off from the sport, was again unpicked early.

Too rushed by the attacking approach from Raducanu, who converted three of five break points in the match, won 30 of 33 points on her first serve and hit a total of 16 winners, the result became an increasing inevitability.

Boulter’s victory was only her second in the main draw of the Australian Open and she now faces the tough challenge of No12 seed Zheng Qinwen. Should Boulter and Raducanu prove victorious in their second-round matches, they would face each other in the third round.