Emma Raducanu next match LIVE: Date, UK time, opponent and how to follow Australian Open second round clash

Emma Raducanu is into the second round of the Australian Open but has a tough task ahead if she is to go deep in Melbourne.

Raducanu is the 28th seed in the first Grand Slam of the year and beat Thailand’s world number 241 Mananchaya Sawangkaew in her opening clash.

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Being seeded, the 23-year-old British number one has avoided the best players in the world in the opening rounds.

But in a cruel blow, she’s still be handed the toughest possible task early on in the major should she make it.

Emma Raducanu’s next match

Raducanu got her major campaign underway against Sawangkaew on the opening day of the tournament and won 6-4, 6-1.

She will now face Anastasia Potapova in the second round following the Austrian’s 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 victory over Suzan Lamens.

The match will be held on Wednesday, January 21 and a court and time have not been confirmed as of yet.

In the UK, coverage of the match will be broadcast live on TNT Sports and Discovery+.

The action will be available with a TNT Sports subscription, which can be purchased here.

Should she win, Raducanu would likely face Aryna Sabalenka in the third round.

Top seed Sabalenka eased through her opener and faces qualifier Bai Zhuoxuan next.

It means Raducanu has drawn against the top seed at the earliest opportunity despite being seeded.

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Emma Raducanu at the Australian Open

Raducanu has never lost in the first round of the Australian Open, winning five straight following victory on Sunday despite a poor start.

Defeat to diminutive Thai debutante Sawangkaew would have been the worst Grand Slam result of Raducanu’s career but in the end she eased to a comfortable victory under the lights on Margaret Court Arena.

Raducanu said: “I feel very happy to have got through that match. From the beginning I felt like she was playing really well. I’m really proud of how I fought back in the first set.

“I actually didn’t feel particularly bad in terms of doing much wrong. I thought she was serving incredibly well, better than I probably expected going on to the court. Returns were dropping very deep on the line a couple of times early on.

“That puts a lot of pressure on straightaway. Maybe I made a few errors thinking I had to do a bit too much early on. I was still looking for the forehand, doing the right things.

“I was just very happy with how I kept competing. It was a really important game (at 1-3) to hold.

“After that I think it was a combination of me finding my feet, my movement, dominating a bit more, and also a few errors from her. I ended up having a pretty good run of games. I’m really proud of myself.”

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Meanwhile, Raducanu has been left less than impressed by the Australian Open’s scheduling after being forced to scramble to get ready for the tournament.

The 2021 US Open winner only arrived in Melbourne last Friday after reaching the quarter-finals of the Hobart International.

She said: “It’s very difficult. You would love to have more time in the environment, more time practising, but I guess I was pretty much handed the schedule to try and turn it around and make the most out of what is in front of me.

“I think it’s easy to get down and complain about it, but it’s not going to help. So I’m just trying to focus and turn it around.

“It’s very difficult to be scheduling women’s matches after a potential five-set match. To me, it doesn’t really make as much sense.

“I’m going to practise and see what it’s like. I don’t think I have been in that situation. Only once before maybe when I played the semis of the US Open.

“I played second night match but, other than that, I haven’t played that late. So, for me, it’s a new experience, something that I need to learn to do.”