Emma Raducanu’s Australian Open campaign kicked off on a bumpy note. After a foot injury disrupted her start at the United Cup earlier this month, she saw the first Grand Slam of the year as a chance to reset. But when she faced Mananchaya Sawangkaew in the opening round, things didn’t go entirely to plan.

Raducanu looked right at home on Margaret Court Arena, taking charge early against Thailand’s Lanlana Sawangkaew. The Brit grabbed the first set 6-4 with crisp hitting and confident movement that set the tone for the night. Her rhythm looked untouchable as she raced into the second set already leading 2-0.

Then came a strange moment. Up 15-0 in the third game, Emma Raducanu’s serve clipped the net. She suddenly paused, pointing toward the lights above the court. Getting the attention of the umpire, she said a flickering light distracted her mid-serve and wanted the point replayed.

“Has the light just turned on? That’s first serve, no?” she asked, looking toward the chair umpire. The umpire replied, “No, it’s not first serve. You…” before Emma chimed in.

“I only started this,” she said, motioning to the start of her serve. The umpire held firm, explaining, “No, no, no, you didn’t start the motion where you didn’t come up.”

But Raducanu stood her ground, “I was like this.” But the umpire wouldn’t budge, saying, “No, it was before you started anything.”

Eventually, Emma Raducanu accepted that she’d have to play a second serve. The mini-drama ended fast. Sawangkaew sent the return long, giving Raducanu the point.

From there, she switched back into top gear, cruising through four straight games to seal the win 6-4, 6-1. Another confident start in Melbourne. Another sharp performance signed off with flair.

It’s not the first time Emma Raducanu has found herself in a fix with the umpire. At the 2025 Cincinnati Open, during her match against Aryna Sabalenka, the British No.1 ran into another odd distraction. A baby’s cries echoed through the stands during the deciding set, throwing her focus completely off.

She told the umpire, “It’s been, like, 10 minutes.” The umpire replied, “It’s a child. Do you want me to kick the child out of the stadium?” Raducanu simply shrugged.

When members of the crowd shouted “yes,” she pointed towards them with a smile. Still, the umpire decided, “I can call in, but we need to continue for the moment.” The moment was awkward, but the Brit handled it with calm and a touch of humor.

Now this time, it felt like another moment where the umpire wasn’t ready to step in. The circumstances were different, but the tension was familiar. However, unlike last time, things swung in her favor and Emma Raducanu couldn’t be happier with the end result. Although there is still more to work on.

Emma Raducanu speaks up on what needs fixing ahead of R2

After sealing the match, the 23-year-old took a moment to reflect on her performance and current form. Against Thailand’s world No.195, Raducanu needed time to find her rhythm, starting slow before catching fire late in the match.

Once she did, she dominated, winning 10 of the final 11 games to close it out in style. But it’s been a season of rebuilding, and she knows it.

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“Having only had two weeks out here of playing, I’m happy with the level and happy with the speed at how I’ve kind of found my feet on the match court,” Emma Raducanu said. “It gives me confidence that if I keep doing the right things, put chunks of work in and good blocks of practice, I can improve a lot more.”

Down 3-1 in the opener and staring at two break points on her own serve at 15-40, she dug deep to turn the set around. That fight seemed to spark something, helped in no small part by the energy of her loyal Aussie supporters.

“Apparently, Down Under. I’ve got Rado,” she said of her new nickname. “Never heard that before. Pretty original!”

The 2021 US Open champion has been open about the adjustments she’s still making to her game. She’s been polishing her serve and, interestingly, has noticed that her forehand swing has unintentionally lengthened in recent weeks. It’s something she hopes to tidy up before the next round.

Before her opening match, she said, “I think it’s something that probably happened in the last few weeks. It’s not something that I really wanted to happen, so I need to kind of look at that and shorten it, because I feel like it’s good in certain conditions when it’s a little bit slower. But on these very quick courts, it doesn’t really work, so I need to adjust that.”

Now, as she prepares to face Anastasia Potapova, Raducanu’s eyes are firmly set on improving her Melbourne record. The furthest she’s gone here was round three, where Iga Swiatek ended her run last year.

With her confidence growing and her form coming together, will this be the year Emma Raducanu takes it further? Share your thoughts in the comments below!