Melbourne, Jan 17 (FN Bureau) A myriad of career-first clashes beckon on Wednesday, headlined by an intriguing showdown between the 2021 US Open women’s champion Emma Raducanu and Coco Gauff, a finalist at last year’s Roland Garros who has long been touted as the future of American tennis. These second round matches make for appointment viewing. Unrivalled anticipation surrounds the birth of this potential women’s tennis rivalry. At 18, an unheralded Raducanu, ranked world No.150, rewrote history in 2021 during a fairytale three weeks at Flushing Meadows. Immediately thrust into the spotlight, the Brit learnt to bear the weight of a nation’s expectation – a feat familiar to Gauff, dubbed a prodigy after making her professional debut at 14. Raducanu and Gauff broke their respective first round opponents, Tamara Korpatsch and Katerina Siniakova, a combined ten times.
The talented right-handers, despite having never practised together, know that their round of 64 bout will be far less straightforward. Another appointment viewing will be when Stefanos Tsitsipas steps on court Down Under, Greek flags proliferate, but fan support in Melbourne for the three-time Australian Open semifinalist is likely to be dialled down a notch when he takes on Rinky Hijikata, a 21-year-old homegrown wildcard. The 24-year-old Tsitsipas, who notched a tour-topping 61 wins during the 2022 season, has both the weapons and experience to stop the Sydney-born right-hander from doubling his Grand Slam win tally. But he will be wary of the unknown. After all, Hijikata has had a taste of what it’s like to trade blows with a top-5 player, and he stunned Rafael Nadal by nabbing the opening set of their first round battle in New York last August.
Hijikata recovered from a two-set deficit in his marathon first round match over Yannick Hanfmann, saving 12 of 15 break points despite the big occasion. If he’s able to maintain self-belief and reproduce the aggressive shot-making that sealed his comeback victory, tennis fans are in for a treat. Another great viewing will be the clash between Daniil Medvedev and Australian wildcard John Millman. Millman’s full fitness will be challenged against the former world No.1, who dropped just three games in his 96 minute defeat of Marcos Giron. Still, Medvedev knows the Australian journeyman, seven years his elder, can be dangerous.