Emma Raducanu has been a hit in Melbourne with both her tennis and social media charm.
Before her win today against Sloane Stephens in the first round, the US Open Winner at 19 showed off her amazing grasp of the local intonation and addressed reporters on the Australian Open TV Channel.
Bromley was where she was born and raised. The player chose key phrases like ‘G’Day mate! The player, who was raised in Bromley, UK picked out key phrases such as “G’Day mate!” and “I’ll be having an almond milk flat white” to demonstrate her grasp of Australian accent.
As she giggling nervously and said these phrases, she quickly apologized profusely. Fearing that she had ruined her efforts, she stated: ‘I’m Sorry, to Everyone!
‘Perfect!’ “Perfect!”
Today, Sloane Stephens beat Sloane Stephens of the United States in three sets. She will now play Danka Kovinic, the World No 98 from Montenegro, in round two on Thursday
Raducanu referred to Australia’s love affair with coffee and said, “I’ll get an almond milk Flat White” while demonstrating her understanding of the country’s accent.
Bromley-raised Raducanu, afraid of offence, quickly apologized…but it didn’t seem they needed to.
Others top-flight players, including Medvedev Daniil and Garbine Muguruza, also tried it…with mixed results.
Social media users adore Raducanu’s accent, although many pointed out that English can be easier to learn if it is not your native tongue.
On Instagram, emil_t.m wrote: ‘Emma’s accent sounds almost native lol.’
itscandicex added: ‘Emma’s accent was spot on’ and Franklinnluu agreed, saying: ‘Emma’s sounded perfect.’
j.jabara tempered with: ‘Well, she is British so it’s not that hard for her.’
On court today, Raducanu shone at a grand slam once again as she marked her Australian Open debut with victory in the battle of the US Open champions against Stephens.
Although the 19-year old has struggled to win since September’s extraordinary New York success, Raducanu found the winning formula once again and won 6-0, 2-6, 6-1.
In a stunning first set, she lost only four points. Stephens was wretched before Stephens hit her stride in second.
Raducanu was able to set up the first ever final at this level, which she did a great job of handling. She kept her cool, struck the ball confidently, and won after one hour and 45 minutes.
Russian player Daniil Medvedev kept it simple, having a go at Australia’s favourite greeting
Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) seemed to like repeating phrases she had heard during her time in Melbourne
The match was undercooked for both players – Raducanu and Stephens after an intense battle with Covid-19, Stephens and Stephens in the aftermath of Jozy Altidore’s New Year’s Day wedding.
Raducanu lost only to Elena Rybakina last week in Sydney. She had just started full training, so it was difficult to predict what she would do.
A remarkable 17-minute set of first sets revealed that Raducanu was sharpening while Stephens was looking like she’s on her honeymoon.
Stephens committed errors after errors, leaving Raducanu free to seek out winners with ease.
Stephens appeared to be a star-making talent when she reached this semi-final here nine years back, though her career was more turbulent than it had been before reaching the New York title.
Raducanu managed to keep her cool under the lights and advanced to round 2 in Australia today
Sloane Stephens was Sloane Stephens’ opponent, making error after error throughout the tournament. Raducanu had no choice but to play for losers.
US Open champion, 6-0-2-6 6-2 6-1 win
While the last couple of years brought some highlights, there have been many disappointing results. Stephens is still a skilled ball striker and a masterful mover. She often shines on the biggest stage.
At the last year’s slams, she took home the scalps of Karolina Pliskova (Petra Kvitova), Madison Keys, Coco Gauff and Coco Gauff.
Raducanu helped her initially, but she did not seem to be able to help her. However, it was not a good sign for her that even though she had rediscovered her range, Stephens still knew the answer.
Raducanu understood the importance of starting the deciding set and she did a gritty hand pump following the second game.
Raducanu was green, but there were also many examples of her prodigious skill at ball-striking, which was a major factor in her successes at Wimbledon and US Open.
Stephens was beaten by her and she led 2-0. She then overcome an embarrassing moment, when she believed she won the next match. However, the umpire informed her that the score was actually 40-15.
Stephens lost her heart and began to lose interest in the fight. Raducanu won on her third match point with a netted backhand.