Australian Open women’s draw 2022: who is Emma Raducanu 1st Round opponent Sloane Stephens?

Emma Raducanu suffered a surprise 6-0 6-1 defeat to Elena Rybakina at the Sydney Tennis Classic earlier this week and is now hoping for a much better upcoming tournament.

The reigning US Open champion has drawn American tennis-player Sloane Stephens in the first round of the Australian Open.

They are due to face off in the first round on Monday (January 17).

Who is Sloane Stephens?

Sloane Stephens is a former US Open champion and currently the world number 68.

After winning the US trophy in 2017, Stephens never fulfilled her potential but claimed some impressive victories over Coco Gauff, Petra Kvitova and Karolina Pliskova last season.

Following the 2018 Wimbledon tournament, Stephens achieved a career-best ranking of No.3 in the world.

The 28-year-old has recently been publishing photos of her recent wedding to former Sunderland striker Jozy Altidore and Raducanu’s supporters will be hoping her focus has been away from the tennis court.

Rest of the women’s draw

Heather Watson - the only other British woman to directly qualify for the main draw - takes on Egypt’s Mayar Sherif.

Meanwhile, Harriet Dart will become another Brit in the singles tournament if they she wins in the final qualifying round on Friday.

Naomi Osaka will look to defend her title as she kicks off her competition with a first round match against Colombia’s Camila Osorio.