Emma Raducanu, Jack Draper part of history at Australian Open 2025 with 1R wins

Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper are part of British history at the Australian Open as they join four other British tennis stars in the second round. Raducanu defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova while Draper got the better of Mariano Navone in the first round of the Melbourne Slam.

This is the first time in history that six British players have reached the second round of the Australian Open. Raducanu and Draper are joined by Jacob Fearnley, Katie Boulter, Harriet Dart and Jodie Burrage.

Fearnley faced a stern test in the first round against home favorite Nick Kyrgios. The Aussie, who returned to Melbourne after an absence of two years, seemed troubled by his wrist and abdomen due to previous injuries but Fearnley did exceptionally well to capitalize and win in straight sets 7-6, 6-3, 7-6. The Brit will take on Arthur Cazaux in the next round.

Boulter battled against Canadian Rebecca Marino and came out on top in three sets. The 22nd seed registered a 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 win to set up a second-round tie against Veronika Kudermetova.

Lucky loser Dart got the better of Croatian qualifier Jana Fett 7-5, 2-6, 7-6(7) to set up a second-round clash against 18th-seed Donna Vekic. Meanwhile, Burrage defeated Leolio Jeanjean 6-2, 6-4, and will face a massive task against World No. 3 Coco Gauff in the second round.

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Australian Open 2025: Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu's 2R opponents

Emma Raducanu at the 2025 Australian Open - Source: Getty

Emma Raducanu committed 15 double faults in her first-round win over Ekaterina Alexandrova at the Australian Open. Fans were unimpressed with her performance but she registered a 7-6(4), 7-6(2) win and moved on to face her friend Amanda Anisimova in the next round.

During her post-match press conference, Raducanu said of her opponent:

"I know she's a big ball striker. She hits the ball really hard. I’ve practiced with her a couple of times, and yeah, she likes to dictate. So, I think it’s going to be a big challenge for me, of course. She’s had some amazing results as well; she broke out really early. I’m looking forward to going out there and testing my game, seeing where I’m at."

Meanwhile, Jack Draper went the distance against Mariano Navone to defeat him 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the first round at the Australian Open. The 15th seed will be taking on home favorite Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second round.