Sloane Stephens vs Emma Raducanu – First Round – Preview & Prediction | 2022 Australian Open
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THE FACTS
When is Sloane Stephens vs Emma Raducanu on and what time does it start? Sloane Stephens vs Emma Raducanu will take place on Tuesday 18th January, 2022 – not before 10:00 (UK)
Where is Sloane Stephens vs Emma Raducanu taking place? Sloane Stephens vs Emma Raducanu will take place at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia
What surface is Sloane Stephens vs Emma Raducanu being played on? Sloane Stephens vs Emma Raducanu will take place on an outdoor hard court
Where can I get tickets for Sloane Stephens vs Emma Raducanu? Visit this link for the latest ticket information for Sloane Stephens vs Emma Raducanu
What channel is Sloane Stephens vs Emma Raducanu on in the UK? Sloane Stephens vs Emma Raducanu will be televised live on Eurosport
Where can I stream Sloane Stephens vs Emma Raducanu in the UK? Eurosport subscribers can stream Sloane Stephens vs Emma Raducanu live on their website, while Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match live on Sky Go
THE LOWDOWN
SLOANE STEPHENS
World number 68 Sloane Stephens won the US Open in 2017 in an all-American final against Madison Keys. She won the most recent of her six career WTA titles in 2018 at the Miami Masters and soon after set a career-high WTA world ranking of 3rd. Stephens made the round of 16 at Roland-Garros last season on her favoured clay surface, three years after finishing runner-up there to Simona Halep. A semi-final in 2013 is by far her best showing in Melbourne.
EMMA RADUCANU
19-year-old Emma Raducanu became an overnight sensation in her run at Wimbledon last summer, taking her wildcard all the way through the round of 16 before she was forced to retire from her match with Ajla Tomljanovic. That would have been more than enough for a player who had just played her first tour-level match but she qualified the hard way at the US Open and did not drop a set through to a record-breaking US Open win as she became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam.
THE PREDICTION
The bar could not be set much higher for world number 18 Emma Raducanu as she makes her Australian Open debut. After receiving a wildcard to debut in Wimbledon and then qualifying to debut in New York she enters her first major as a seeded player with a huge target on her back after her record-breaking title. Raducanu has shown brief flashes of what she is capable of in matches since her US Open victory but, as covered here in our preview for women’s tennis in 2022, the British number one needs plenty of time to recalibrate several times over if she is to survive the rigours of life on tour as one of the world’s most famous athletes.
For this reason, Sloane Stephens is likely to win the battle of the US Open champions here despite her lack of match practice this season. Betting against Raducanu at a Grand Slam has so far been an almost impossible task, though, and the crowd will do their part to edge her towards a set. The safe option here is for Stephens to win at least a set as the likelier of two capable winners.
