MELBOURNE (Reuters) - A rusty Emma Raducanu said her serve felt like it had a mind of its own at times on Tuesday as she racked up 15 double faults in a 7-6(4) 7-6(2) first-round victory over Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova at the Australian Open.
The 22-year-old Briton, who has dealt with a string of injuries since capturing her only Grand Slam title at the 2021 U.S. Open, returned to action for the first time since November with her win over the 26th seed at Melbourne Park.
Raducanu has often struggled to get going after returning from spells away from the game but she was surprised by how her serve misbehaved, with one of her double faults coming as she held a 30-0 lead when serving for the match.
"Honestly, I'm not sure what I changed in my serve today. I think it had a mind of its own. I'll be sure to reflect, look at that and come back to you," she told reporters.
"In the first set I was hitting a lot of good first serves. I hit a few aces. At the same time I was hitting a double fault. I was quite of accepting that, Okay, I'm at least going for it.
"As the balls got heavier, it was a lot more difficult. As more kept coming, it wasn't easy to refocus, but I knew even if I was down, I have great returns."
Raducanu, who missed five tournaments on the WTA's Asian swing with sprained ligaments in her foot before missing a tune-up event in Auckland with a back problem, was pleased that was able to grind out the win.
"It was good to be able to rely on other parts of my game today that I know are quite strong, as well," added Raducanu, who also sent down nine aces.
"I'm just proud I didn't let it affect me too much and let the match run away from me."
Raducanu next faces 23-year-old American Amanda Anisimova, another player who has been exposed to the spotlight at a young age after reaching the French Open semi-finals in 2019.
"I know she's a big ball-striker," Raducanu said.
"I practiced with her a couple times. She likes to dictate. So I think it's going to be a big challenge for me."
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
