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Match Details
Fixture: Emma Raducanu vs (26) Ekaterina Alexandrova
Date: January 14, 2025
Tournament: Australian Open 2025
Round: First Round (Round of 128)
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Hard (Outdoor)
Prize Money: A$ 96,500,000
Live Telecast: USA - ESPN & Tennis Channel | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Sports & Sony Liv
Emma Raducanu vs Ekaterina Alexandrova preview
2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu will face 26th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round of the Australian Open on January 14. The winner of the match will take on either Amanda Anisimova or Maria Lourdes Carle in the second round.
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Raducanu produced some promising performances during the 2024 season, that helped her return to the top 100 of the WTA rankings. The Brit's last outing of the past year came at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, where she helped her nation to the semifinals of the tournament.
Raducanu was scheduled to start her 2025 season at the ASB Classic, but she eventually withdrew from the tournament and will instead play her first match of the new year at the Australian Open.
Alexandrova, on the other hand, started her 2025 at the Brisbane International, where she was seeded 14th. The Russian, however, suffered a defeat to eventual quarterfinalist Ons Jabeur in the first round.
The 30-year-old then competed in another WTA 500 event at the Adelaide International, and booked her place in the second round after defeating Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 3-6, 6-2. Here, she lost 6-7(4), 4-6 to second seed Emma Navarro.
Emma Raducanu vs Ekaterina Alexandrova head-to-head
The head-to-head between the two currently stands at 0-0 as they haven't had any prior encounters on the WTA tour.
Emma Raducanu vs Ekaterina Alexandrova odds
All odds are sourced from BETMGM.
Emma Raducanu vs Ekaterina Alexandrova prediction
Alexandrova is the higher-ranked player of the two and has produced some decent performances on hard-courts since 2024, most notably reaching the semifinals of the Miami Open and the quarterfinals of the Wuhan Open. Raducanu, when fit, is capable of producing some spectacular tennis. So, we could have an interesting encounter on our hands.
The Brit won 98 out of 128 points (76.6%) on her first serve during her last tournament, which came at the Billie Jean King Cup. She served 21 aces while coughing up 18 double faults. The 22-year-old also produced 56 winners while accumulating 66 unforced errors.
Raducanu has an effective serve but her aggressive baseline play is what she will rely heavily on against Alexandrova. Her pace, hard-hitting and movement will also come in very handy.
Alexandrova's first-serve numbers have been pretty disappointing so far, as she has won just 95 out of 151 points (62.9%) on it. The Russian served 13 aces while also leaking 11 double faults.
Alexandrova is a very aggressive player and while going on the attack will be useful for her, a strong defense, net game, and control over her shots will also be crucial in order to get the better of Raducanu.
Given the quality of both players, we could have an interesting fixture on Court 3. While it won't be surprising if Alexandrova wins, Raducanu might just about edge out the Brit to reach the second round of the Australian Open.
Pick: Raducanu to win in three sets.
