"Truly one of the lowest quality matches ever";"Still can’t believe my eyes" - Fans unimpressed by Emma Raducanu's 'dreadful' Australian Open 1R win

Emma Raducanu locked horns with 26th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in a highly anticipated first-round encounter at the 2025 Australian Open. Despite the closely contested battle between the duo, the quality of the match failed to impress tennis fans.

After fending off break points in her opening service game, Raducanu took a 3-1 lead in the first set. However, the Brit failed to maintain her momentum as she struggled massively with her serve. She and Alexandrova then traded breaks to force a tiebreak, which the 22-year-old won.

Subsequently, Emma Raducanu took an early lead in the second set and even had the chance to serve for the win at 5-4. However, she failed to capitalize on the opportunity, sending the match to another tiebreak, with the Brit eventually claiming a 7-6(4), 7-6(2) victory. Raducanu's serving woes were evidenced by her striking 15 double faults while recording 22 winners and 30 unforced errors.

Tennis fans were quick to voice their disappointment with the "low quality" of the contest, with one fan even deeming it the worst match of the year and another bemoaning the "dreadful" display.

"Truly one of the lowest quality matches I’ve ever seen. That first set should be in the hall of fame. Just wow," one fan commented.

"Contender for worst match of the year, and we’re only in January," another fan chimed in.

"Frustrating from both players tbh," a fan remarked.

"This match was just dreadful," said another.

On a more lighthearted note, some fans joked about launching a "class action suit," humorously quipping that they were entitled to compensation for surviving the experience of watching the match.

"I’m finding a lawyer as we speak, I still can’t believe my eyes," a fan quipped.

"Congrats to everyone who survived this," one fan joked.

"You may be entitled to compensation," a fan remarked.

"Imma join the class action suit," said yet another.

Emma Raducanu to lock horns with Amanda Anisimova in Australian Open 2R

Emma Raducanu - Source: Getty

Following her hard-fought win over Ekaterina Alexandrova, Emma Raducanu will lock horns with Amanda Anisimova in the second round of the 2025 Australian Open. Anisimova claimed a commanding 6-2, 6-3 win over Maria Lourdes Carle to book her place against the Brit.

Should Raducanu emerge victorious against the American, she will face the winner of the match between second seed Iga Swiatek and Rebecca Sramkova in the third round, with Lucia Bronzetti or Eva Lys looming as her potential fourth-round opponents.

If Emma Raducanu reaches her maiden quarterfinal at the Melbourne Slam, she will likely come up against eighth seed Emma Navarro or ninth seed Daria Kasatkina in a battle for a spot in the semifinals.