Norrie, Boulter and Draper into Australian Open second round

Emma Raducanu marked her return to the Grand Slam with a dominant 6-3, 6-2 victory over American Shelby Rogers in the first round of the Australian Open on Tuesday.

Raducanu, who missed much of 2023 due to injury, was only allowed into the main draw of the Australian Open after American player Lauren Davis withdrew due to injury. a wound.

The 21-year-old defeated Rogers in just 76 minutes to secure a second-round meeting with China's Wang Yafan on Thursday.

Hand and ankle operations saw the 2021 US Open winner play just nine matches last year. She made her return at the Auckland Open earlier this month and her match against Rogers was her first major appearance since last year's Australian Open.

“[Last year] I traveled here in a wheelchair,” Raducanu told reporters. “I started hitting only three days before the match. This whole process was very stressful. We didn't know if I was going to be able to play here.

“I think this year and now there's a lot more calm. It's amazing to no longer have pain in my wrists. Honestly, I didn't know if I would ever get to this point.

“I had pain for so long. I was playing from before the US swing in 2022, until before the surgery. It was difficult because I couldn't train, I couldn't practice.”

British number one Cameron Norrie advanced to the second round of the Australian Open with a straight 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Peruvian Juan Pablo Varillas.

Norrie had entered the tournament with injury concerns following his withdrawal from the ASB Classic in Auckland earlier this month due to a wrist problem. But the 19th seed seemed calm on court 1573 against Varillas, 81st.

His pace improved as the match progressed and at one point led 5–1 in the second set after winning the first. Varillas fought back to win the next three games, but Norrie held on to win the set and then the match.

Meanwhile, British number 2 Dan Evans was knocked out in the first round after a 4-6, 7-6 (10-8), 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) loss to Italian Lorenzo Sonego .

Evans won the first set in this exciting contest, but Sonego dug deep to win the second set after an 18-point tiebreak before comfortably winning the third. Evans remarkably survived seven break points in the fourth set to advance to a tiebreak, but Sonego ultimately prevailed to seal progression to the second round.

Evans' compatriot Jack Draper, 21, overcame 30-degree temperatures and American player Marcos Giron 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 in a grueling match that lasted three hours and 20 minutes.

Draper had fitness issues throughout the match and had to call the physical therapist during the second set to have his blood pressure checked. Immediately after the match ended, he rushed to vomit into a pitchside trash can.

“It was weird,” Draper told reporters after the game.

I obviously played a very long point, maybe it was some sort of reaction to finally crossing the finish line. I don't know.

“I felt a little bad because I had obviously just beaten the guy, and I was like, 'I gotta shake your hand, buddy, but I gotta go to that trash can.'

“I don’t do this often, but it was a reaction.”

Elsewhere, British No.1 Katie Boulter beat China's Yuan Yue 7-5, 7-6 (7-1) for just her second Australian Open main draw victory.