Emma Raducanu’s Australian Open campaign came to an end on Wednesday.
The British number one, seeded 28th, began the 2026 Australian Open by defeating Mananchaya Sawangkaew 6-4, 6-1.
On Wednesday, Austrian player Anastasia Potapova defeated the British star 7-6, 6-2.
Raducanu, who provided an injury update after the contest, will look ahead to her next WTA tournament: the Transylvania Open.
Emma Raducanu won her first Grand Slam too soon – Prove me wrong!
Tim Henman, another former British number one, has reflected on Raducanu’s Australian Open exit, describing the result as ‘frustrating.’
Tim Henman says what Emma Raducanu must do after losing at the Australian Open
Henman, who has tipped an American woman to win the 2026 Australian Open, discussed Raducanu’s match during TNT Sports’ live coverage on Wednesday.
She said: “It’s frustrating because it was a good opportunity.
“She obviously wasn’t feeling her best physically as she said, but in that first set, she was up a break, I think on three occasions, served for the set. And then it went to the tiebreak; she wasn’t able to come out on top, and things went downhill pretty rapidly.
“It hasn’t been a straightforward start to the year. Emma has been battling a foot issue that seems to be better now.
“She’s just got to build momentum, got to continue to try to build that physical resilience, that will give her the opportunity to be out on tour competing consistently, regularly, give her the chance to show her undoubted ability.”
Raducanu’s loss was certainly disappointing, but it is one she must bounce back from quickly if she wants to avoid slipping down the WTA rankings.
At the 2026 Australian Open, Raducanu was a seed for the first time at a Grand Slam event since the 2022 Australian Open.
If Raducanu wants to continue being seeded at major events, she must improve her form in the next few months, ahead of the French Open.
How likely is it that Emma Raducanu wins another Grand Slam, and why?
Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say
Emma Raducanu’s first Australian Open match
In 2022, Emma Raducanu featured in her first Australian Open, four months on from winning her maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open.
In her first match in Melbourne, Raducanu defeated Sloane Stephens, the 2017 US Open Women’s Singles champion.
In the second round, Raducanu was defeated by Danka Kovinic: 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
Emma Raducanu recorded her best performance at the event three years later, in 2025.
After three consecutive second-round appearances, Raducanu reached the third round in Melbourne after defeating Ekaterina Alexandrova and Amanda Anisimova.
She was then defeated by Iga Swiatek, who went on to reach the semi-finals.
Swiatek, a six-time Grand Slam champion, was defeated by eventual Australian Open champion Madison Keys.
Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say