Emma Raducanu handed nightmare Australian Open draw as young Brit gets Nick Kyrgios
Emma Raducanu handed nightmare Australian Open draw as young Brit gets Nick Kyrgios
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If Emma Raducanu is to make a splash at the Australian Open, she'll have to do it the hard way. The former US Open champion is one of only two Brits to draw a seed in Melbourne having pulled out of her scheduled warm-up tournament in Auckland with a back niggle before returning to practice this week. Raducanu will have to be sharp from the start after being paired with 26th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Great Britain’s Jacob Fearnley, entering the tournament in great form, also gets a seed after being handed a blockbuster Australian Open debut against Nick Kyrgios. Fearnley was still at college in the United States during last year’s tournament but has rocketed up to 86 in the world after a stunning start to his professional tennis career, which included taking a set off Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon.
That earned the 23-year-old a main-draw spot at Melbourne Park, and it is set to be an occasion to remember against home star Kyrgios – providing the former Wimbledon finalist is fit enough to compete. Kyrgios has not played in his home slam since 2022 after two years on the sidelines following knee and wrist surgeries. He admitted after making his return at the Brisbane International last week that he is not sure if his wrist will hold up to best-of-five-set tennis, while he also has a minor abdominal strain.
