Having gatecrashed the elite club quite spectacularly with the US Open title last September, Emma Raducanu is having to learn things quickly. On the go.
On Tuesday, she overcame American Sloane Stephens 6-0, 2-6, 6-1 in a battle of New York champions. The Australian Open first-round clash ended close to midnight in Melbourne.
“It’s way past my bedtime right now,” the 19-year-old said. “That’s something I’m also learning about, what works for me, dealing with those late finishes. Not being able to sleep as early because of the adrenaline you’re running on. I think it will be good experience.”
Raducanu, who came through the qualifiers in New York, didn’t drop a set in her fairytale charge to the title.
So much so that she played her first decider at this level against Stephens, the 2017 US Open champ. The American started slowly, perhaps still recovering from her New Year’s Day wedding to footballer Jozy Altidore.
“I think 2022 is all about learning for me. Being in those situations of winning a set and then having to fight in a decider,” the Briton said. “All just accumulating into a bank of experience that I can tap into later.”
