Emma Raducanu put injury worries behind her with victory over Tamara Korpatsch at the Australian Open to set up a second-round clash with Coco Gauff.
The British No.1 had her left ankle she rolled in Auckland 11 days ago taped up, but grew in confidence throughout the match and eased to a 6-3 6-2 win after an hour and 25 minutes. And while it was undoubtedly a reason to celebrate, this was also a gentle lob of a draw, with German Korpatsch, ranked one place ahead of Raducanu at 76, inexperienced at this level and a lot more comfortable on clay than hard courts.
Seventh seed Gauff, who defeated Katerina Siniakova 6-1 6-4, will offer a significantly different challenge as she looks to emulate Raducanu by winning a slam. Although she is more than a year younger than Raducanu, Gauff has already played for three and a half years on the main tour, climbing into the top 10 and establishing the sort of solid base her next opponent is still seeking.
