Emma Raducanu will take on five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek after battling more injury problems to beat Amanda Anisimova in the second round of the Australian Open.
The former US Open champion had her preparations for the tournament disrupted by back spasms, and during the second set she had treatment for what appeared to be a lower back problem.
There were five more double faults – a significant improvement on the 15 in her first-round win over Ekaterina Aleksandrova – but that didn't stop her reaching the last 32 for the first time here thanks to a 6-3 7-5 win over big-hitting American Anisimova .
He will now get a fourth overtime against world No. 2 Swiatek, against whom he has yet to win a set.
“This is a slam I like to play in, so it means a lot to me to get to the second round,” Raducanu said.
“It's incredibly difficult whenever you're playing with a friend, it adds another dimension to the match and not necessarily a pleasant one. I think I did a good job. I knew I didn't have to go away in the second set.”
She continued: “It was tricky today, it was a bit windy, there was sun on one side. They both had a few moments with our serve. The way I managed to regroup at the end of the first one, I was pretty proud of that.
“It's difficult. I haven't played a match in a very long time. The way I play is quite athletic, I use my body a lot.
“I felt it a little bit, but I'm glad that I have some time to recover before the next match. I love it. This is another opportunity to test my game. I think it's obvious that (Swiatek) has come a long way and I don't think I have what have I got to lose, I'll do my best and I can't wait to play in front of you.
Tale of the Tape
Radučanu and Anisimova are friends off the court and there are similarities in their tennis stories, the American reaching the fourth round and quarterfinals of the French Open here as a 17-year-old.
Anisimova has pulled off some big wins at the Grand Slams, particularly in Melbourne, and is one of the purest natural hitters on tour.
That was evident when the American took a 3-1 lead, and Raducanu held her serve better, but Anisimova comes back and takes everything short.
Anisimova had two chances to take a 4-1 lead but couldn't capitalize on either and from there Radučana dug in well, surviving more pressure to hold serve for the first time and shuffling her game intelligently.
Five games in a row gave her the first set, but there were a few scrambles from Raducanu during service games and a look at new fitness coach Yutaka Nakamura.
In the opening game of the second set, she served three double faults, all to the left, and then asked referee Mohamed Lahyani to call the coach.
She was 3-0 down at the time she took a medical time-out, but although Raducan's grimaces continued, the break seemed to have more of an effect on Anisimova, with a string of errors from the 23-year-old allowing the Briton to pull back level.
Raducanu had more treatment after losing serve again to hold at 4-3, but she still clearly believed she could win the match, and after another break, two big fists met the hold to take her one game to wins.
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Swiatek leads Raducana 3-0 in head-to-head matches at the WTA level after picking up two wins on clay and one on hard. Watch highlights from their last meeting in Stuttgart 2024.
Anisimova withstood the pressure that time, but two games later, a forehand winner that ended a fine back-and-forth point brought the first match point, and Radučanu took it, dropping her racket on the court and putting her hands to her head in celebration.
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