Emma Raducanu and Arthur Fery Impress at the Australian Open
Australian Open
January 18, 2026
Emma Raducanu was beaming at the thought of her impressive fightback – and a new nickname.
She signed the camera “Raddo” after an Australian fan had shortened her surname while yelling his encouragement all match.
‘Apparently I’ve got a new nickname – and you can come to every match!’ she laughed, pointing at the supporter afterwards.
And having come back from 1-3, 15-40 in the first set, Emma had reason to smile. She won the next seven games. And a scintillating seventeen-shot rally set up her final break point on the home straight.
Raducanu saw off Mananchaya Sawangkaew 6-4, 6-1 in the end. Overall it was a job well done.
She plays Anasrasia Potapova in the next round, as she seeks to build some Grand Slam momentum.
Emma Raducanu will hope this New Year Grand Slam form lasts all the way to Wimbledon 2026!
She certainly seems to be enjoying her tennis – and developing more inner grit with every passing season.
British qualifier Arthur Fery had even more reason to smile after he defeated last year’s Wimbledon quarter-finalist Flavio Cobolli 7-6 (7-1), 6-4, 6-1.
Only the great Novak Djokovic had ended the Italian’s Wimbledon dream last summer in London.
But stomach problems troubled the match favourite from the outset – and Fery was able to take full advantage in order to progress.
No one could claim Arthur’s win was a fluke, though. He stunned a similarly ranked player at the last Wimbledon Championships when he beat the talented Alexei Popyrin.
‘It seems I like drawing 20th seeds at Grand Slams,’ he joked afterwards.
Tomas Martin Etcheverry will offer an even sterner test in the next round – but Fery will doubtless savour the experience and harbour no fear.
King Arthur and Raddo will attract huge interest at Wimbledon 2026 – will you be there?
Cam Norrie will be no pushover either. He battled through a marathon five-setter against Benjamin Bonzi 6-0, 6-7 (2-7), 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to prevail.
He’ll hope for a slightly easier ride against Emilio Nava next time out.
The Brits can’t complain at the end of Day One at the Australian Open. And Carlos Alcaraz was more than satisfied with his performance, too.
Seeking a Career Slam, Carlitos started out with a straight sets win over local boy Adam Walton. Can he frustrate reigning champion Jannik Sinner at the end of this mouth-watering fortnight?
Emma Raducanu, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will strut their stuff at Wimbledon 2026. What more could any tennis fan ask for?
Will you be there to watch your own hero in action? We can arrange your tickets straight away. Just get in touch to talk it through.