Emma Raducanu "very up" for highly-anticipated Australian Open 2R clash against Coco Gauff

Emma Raducanu stated that she was eager to face the challenge of fellow young star Coco Gauff in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open.

The former US Open champion got past the first round hurdle against Germany's Tamara Korpatsch in straight sets 6-3, 6-2. Despite some pre-match injury concerns, the Brit played some solid tennis and broke her opponents' serve six times during the match, and won 67% of her first serve points.

In her post-match press conference, Raducanu revealed that she was eager to take on Gauff, one of the favorites for the event.

"Yeah, I'm really looking forward to this match. I'm very up for it. Coco has obviously done a lot of great things and she's playing well. I'm just looking forward to the matchup," she said.

The world No. 77 predicted that the match would be a memorable one.

"I think we're both good, young players, we're both coming through. Yeah, part of the next generation of tennis really. Yeah, it's going to be a great match," she added.

The 20-year-old also mentioned that she finds Gauff to be "very nice" and "friendly" off the court.

"I mean, I know her a fair bit. Off the court, she's really nice and friendly and really down-to-earth. Yeah, she's cool," Raducanu said.

"I'm just happy with the way I kind of handled myself today in the matches" - Emma Raducanu

Emma Raducanu reacts in their round one singles match against Tamara Korpatsch

Emma Raducanu revealed that it was nice to have some prior experience of facing Korpatsch previously on the tour.

The Brit found it difficult to handle the German's unusual game style.

"I think it's good to have that experience against a player. You kind of have a better idea. She's an awkward player. I think in the conditions today, like, the balls are quite heavy here, and it would like slow it down. That I think favored her," she said.

The US Open winner called Korpatsch "tricky" and said the match was a tough one.

"But, yeah, she's tricky. Like, sometimes she will hit high, sometimes nothing, sometimes she'll shank it but it would be really effective. It was tough. I had to stay on my feet, on my toes," she added.

Raducanu claimed that she played better tennis in Melbourne than in their previous meeting in Stuttgart in 2022 when she needed three sets to get past Korpatsch.

"I think, I don't know, I actually think I played better, like, for patches in Stuttgart. But, yeah, I'm just happy with the way I kind of handled myself today in the matches. Like, there were points where I wasn't necessarily playing the best, but I was good mentally to carry on going," she added.