Following nine months of feverish speculation, Emma Raducanu is ready to let her racket do the talking at the 2024 Australian Open. The 21-year-old faces Shelby Rogers in the first round on Tuesday, January 16 (Monday, January 15 if you live on the West Coast of the US).
Raducanu vs Rogers is airing for FREE in Australia on 9Now. But don't worry if you're abroad while Australian Open 2024 is on, because you can watch Raducanu vs Rogers live streams from anywhere with a VPN.
► Start time (expected): 1 am ET / 10 pm PT / 6 am UK / 5 pm AEDT
AU: 9Now (free)
US: ESPN Plus
UK: Discovery Plus
Raducanu's glorious rise and dramatic fall have made her one of the most polarizing figures on the circuit, so it's only natural that her return to action will invite intense scrutiny. Was her 2021 US Open triumph a magnificent one-off, or is a healthy Raducanu one of the top talents in the game?
Having undergone wrist and ankle surgery in May, Raducanu made her comeback earlier this month in Auckland, where she briefly threatened to stun Elina Svitolina before running out of gas. She subsequently pulled out of pair of exhibition matches, in order to focus on the Australian Open.
Three-time WTA Tour finalist Rogers was on a five-match losing streak before she underwent surgery in July, and remarkably, the 33-year-old hasn't played since. Despite being rusty, she'll want to improve on her last display against Raducanu. The Brit needed just 66 minutes to beat Rogers in their only previous encounter.
If you're a keen tennis fan, you'll want to know how to watch Raducanu vs Rogers live online. We've got all the information below.
How to watch Raducanu vs Rogers in Australia for free
If you're in Australia, you can watch the Australian Open matches like Raducanu vs Rogers for FREE. This match-up is expected to start at around 5 pm AEDT, if it isn't subject to delays.
You can tune in to Channel 9 or the streaming service 9Now, which has live streams of ongoing matches, as well as highlights packages for each of the matches that have already taken place.
How to watch Raducanu vs Rogers in the US
The Raducanu vs Rogers match will take place across Monday, January 15 and Tuesday, January 16 in the US. It's expected to start at around 1 am ET/10 pm PT, but remember that matches can often be delayed by minutes or hours in tournaments like the Australian Open.
Our top recommendation for catching Raducanu vs Rogers and other Australian Open matches would be to use the streaming service ESPN Plus, because this is set to cover every single service and volley of the tournament. According to ESPN, its streaming service "will stream all rounds on all courts live". Simple!
ESPN Plus costs $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year for a subscription, but many people sign up via the Disney Bundle, which offers it alongside Hulu and Disney Plus for just $14.99 per month.
If you'd rather watch via cable... good luck. The Tennis Channel will be showing some live coverage of various matches throughout the day, but it hasn't announced which. Mostly likely, it'll jump between various courts, so if you want to watch the entirety of Raducanu vs Rogers, we can't say with any certainty that you'll be able to.
Still, tennis buffs might want access to the channel. You can do so via a cable subscription or various live TV streaming services: DirecTV offers it in its Choice package for $84.99 per month (or its two higher tiers), Fubo has it in the basic Pro package at $79.99 per month, and Sling TV has it in its Orange package for $40 per month (or its Orange + Blue package which is $55 per month)
How to watch Raducanu vs Rogers in the UK
We've got some bad news for British tennis fans; while Raducanu vs Rogers is airing in the UK, it's expected to start at around 6 am UK first thing on Tuesday, January 16, so an early alarm might be necessary!
To watch Australian Open matches, you'll need to sign up to Discovery Plus, which unlocks access to Eurosport, which is broadcasting the tennis tournament in the UK. The streamer is showing specific matches, and while it hasn't confirmed whether Raducanu vs Rogers will be one, we'd imagine the highest-profile Brit in the draw would take priority. If not, it also has a multi-court stream to cover all the other matches.
You'll need the Standard Discovery Plus plan (as opposed to Basic), which costs £6.99 a month and has no annual option (something that's worth emphasizing, seeing as the Basic plan does offer an annual option, but won't let you watch the tennis).
How to watch Raducanu vs Rogers from anywhere with a VPN
If you're going to be away from your normal TV setup but still want to watch Raducanu vs Rogers, you might run into some problems. Thankfully, you can solve this exact issue with a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
A VPN lets you change your IP address to that of the area of what you want to watch, meaning you can tune in to your favorite sports like the Australian Open or other content even if you're not there. Our favorite is ExpressVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our sister site, TechRadar.
Everything else you need to know about Raducanu vs Rogers
What court is Raducanu vs Rogers on?
Raducanu vs Rogers will take place at Melbourne Park's 1573 Arena, also known as Show Court 2.
With a 3,000 capacity, it's the joint-fifth biggest court at the complex, and usually stages its fair share of headline-worthy matches early on in the tournament.
What time is Raducanu vs Rogers?
At the time of writing, Raducanu vs Rogers is expected to take place at 5 pm local time in Australia on Tuesday, January 16. That's 6 am in the UK, and 1 am ET/10 pm PT in the US.
Grand Slam tennis tournaments can be beset by minor delays, as matches can only start when the previous one finishes. So don't be surprised if the match is pushed back a little, though it'd take something drastic for it to be rescheduled for the following day.
