British number one Emma Raducanu overcame a shaky start to sail past Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew and reach the second round at the Australian Open.
Seeded at a major for the first time since the 2022 US Open, Raducanu looked sluggish as she dropped serve early on against the world number 196.
But the former US Open champion eventually found her rhythm on Margaret Court Arena, reeling off seven games in a row on her way to a 6-4 6-1 victory.
“I feel very happy to have got through the match. From the beginning I thought she was playing extremely well,” 28th seed Raducanu said.
The 23-year-old will face Austrian Anastasia Potapova next, with world number one Aryna Sabalenka potentially lying in wait in the third round.
