British tennis stars kick off Australian Open with wins

British tennis players Emma Raducanu, Jack Draper, Cameron Norrie and Katie Boulter have made a strong start to their Australian Open campaigns with wins in scorching Melbourne summer temperatures. Dan Evans failed to follow their example, losing in four sets to Lorenzo Sonego.

The two-week-long tournament started yesterday, with British tennis icon Andy Murray losing in three sets to Argentina’s Etcheverry. 

Raducanu beat American player Shelby Rogers in two straight sets, marking her statement return to Grand Slam tennis after injury had kept her out for nearly a year. 

The 21-year-old’s win showed flashes of her performances at the 2021 US Open, which resulted in her first Grand Slam title. 

After her 6-3 6-2 victory, Raducanu will now play 94th seed Wang Yafan in the next round. 

Katie Boulter, who currently ranks as British No 1, also beat China’s Yuan Yue in two straight sets for her first ever round win at the Australian Open. 

Yue proved to be a tough opponent, with Boulter winning the match 7-5, 7-6 (7-1). 

Should both Boulter and Raducanu win their second rounds, they could face each other in the last 32. 

The Aussie heat got the best of young player Jack Draper, who felt ill at courtside after his five-set triumph over Marcos Giron. 

Draper had to come from a set behind as he won 6-4 3-6 4-6 6-0 6-2 after over three hours of play. He will now face Tommy Paul, who is ranked by the ATP at 14th. 

British No 1 Cameron Norrie saw off injury worries with a comfortable 6-4 6-4 6-2 win over Peruvian player Juan Pablo Varillas, while Dan Evans struggled to repeat his first set win in a 4-6 7-6 6-2 7-6 loss to Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego.

He will now go up against against world No 133 Giulio Zeppieri in the second round.

Third WTA seed Elena Rybakina beat Karolína Plíšková in two sets, while world No 1 Iga Swiatek defeated former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.