Emma Raducanu is being tipped to be one of the ‘best players in the world’ by Mats Wilander after her win over Ekaterina Alexandrova at the Australian Open.
The British No 2 was handed a tricky draw in Melbourne against the No 26 seed, who was ranked as high as 15th in the world just last year.
It proved to be a topsy-turvy performance from Raducanu, who finished with nine aces but also 15 double faults.
After winning both tiebreaks, Raducanu eventually came through the difficult match in straight sets.
Emma Raducanu won her match in straight sets
REUTERS
The victory also moves Raducanu up in the ranking with a good chance of climbing further with a deep run in Melbourne.
She’s never made it past the second round of the Australian Open, but Wilander saw enough to suggest Raducanu is on the right track.
And the seven-time Grand Slam champion even feels Raducanu can soon reach the pinnacle of women’s tennis by challenging with the likes of Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek.
“That’s a tough match, but this was a tough match as well,” Wilander said on Eurosport.
“Alexandrova is a good player and you have to play well. I’m very impressed with Emma.
“Every time I see her, there is no question in my mind that she can become one of the best players in the world if she stays healthy long enough.
“[Amanda] Anisimova hits the ball very, very, very hard. It’s going to be a tough match, but I love seeing Emma back.”
Raducanu was playing her first competitive WTA-level match in four months after pulling out of the ASB Classic prior to the Australian Open with a back problem.
Emma Raducanu is set to climb up the rankings
GETTY
Tim Henman feels that may have played a part in Raducanu’s issues on serve, but also praised his compatriot for fighting through it.
“It’s great to see her on the match court,” Henman said.
“Last year, she didn’t play a massive amount of tennis, and you think that she needs to get matches under her belt.
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Emma Raducanu has never gone past the second round in Melbourne
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“She had to pull out of Auckland because of that back spasm. If you’ve got a bad back, the last thing you want to do is serve so she might not have served that much coming into the event.
“She talked about how her service motion has changed, it’s a little bit longer.
“If you can serve 15 double faults and still end up winning, there are still other areas of your game that are working pretty well. Against a seeded opponent, she’ll be pleased to get that win under her belt.”