Raducanu's Rain-Soaked Hobart Breakthrough

Rain pattered on the Hobart courts like an unwelcome intruder, suspending play and testing nerves on a chilly Tasmanian afternoon. Emma Raducanu, the British No. 1 and top seed at the Hobart International, had trailed 4-2 in the second set against Camila Osorio when the downpour hit Tuesday. Resuming Wednesday at deuce on serve, she sharpened her focus, her groundstrokes gaining bite as she sealed a 6-3, 7-6(2) victory—her first of 2026 and since September.

This marked only her second match of the year, coming off a loss to Maria Sakkari at the United Cup last week after a foot injury hampered preseason. Early against Osorio, ranked 82, Raducanu’s balls sat up short, inviting counters on the medium-paced hardcourts. The delay forced an overnight pause, one she later called a mental hurdle, but it sparked a tactical reset.

“Very, very difficult match,” said Raducanu in her on-court interview. “We played under all conditions and coming on, coming off a few times, it was really difficult. I don’t think I’ve slept over many matches in between so that was also a new one for me. I thought Camila played an incredible match overall. Such good defence, and then stepped in when I dropped the ball short. I’m just really pleased with how I came out today and turned it around and then stuck in during the tie-break.”

Rain sharpens her edges

The interruption amplified the stakes, with Raducanu emerging with heavier topspin that Osorio’s retrievals struggled to chase down. She converted her fourth break point at 5-4 in the second, a down-the-line forehand slicing through the tension as the crowd leaned in. Osorio forced a tiebreak, her flat backhand absorbing pace in baseline exchanges, but Raducanu dominated with inside-out winners that pushed the Colombian wide.

At 23, Raducanu’s fist pump and yell at match point cut through the humid air, a release after months of injury fog. The Hobart plexicushion surface, echoing Australian Open conditions, rewarded her adjustments—deeper returns and varied slice backhands that skidded low, forcing errors. This gritty close hinted at a player syncing her one–two patterns, serve into crosscourt forehand, just as Melbourne’s hardcourts beckon.

Preseason shadows lift slowly

Foot troubles had turned her United Cup return rusty, with short balls and momentum slips mirroring early Hobart wobbles. Yet the delay acted as a circuit breaker, allowing Raducanu to ditch tentative rallies for aggressive net forays that shortened points. Osorio’s defense, honed on clay but adaptable here, stretched exchanges, but Raducanu’s topspin loops neutralized those efforts in the decider.

Her progression eases into the quarterfinals after a walkover against injured Magdalena Frech in the second round, setting up a clash with Australian Taylah Preston. Preston’s rising serve on home soil will test sustained aggression, but Raducanu’s mental steel in the tiebreak—winning 7-2 with precise inside-in backhands—suggests she’s rebuilding belief. The 23-year-old’s yell lingered in the arena, a signal of form flickering back to life.

British eyes turn to Melbourne

Across the Tasman, Cameron Norrie’s Auckland run at the ASB Classic ended in the second round, a 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) loss to giant Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard despite a match point in the third set’s 10th game. The British men’s No. 1 fought with flat inside-in backhands on the faster greenset, but the big serve proved too much in his hometown event.

For Raducanu, this Hobart momentum injects optimism as the Australian Open nears, where Which Brits are playing in the Australian Open? and What is the Australian Open 2026 prize money? All-time stats frame the national narrative. Her ability to adapt under duress, from rain-lashed delays to tiebreak pressure, positions her to carry British hopes deeper into the Grand Slam swing, one heavy groundstroke at a time.