Emma Raducanu Emma Raducanu Emma Raducanu believes she can be a "dangerous opponent" for anybody as she backs herself to impress at the Australian Open. (More Tennis News)ps88
Pool A will consist of the defending champion Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB – Indian Railways), along with Indian Army – Red, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), Hockey Maharastra and Hockey Unit Of Tamil Nadu (HUTN).
Meanwhile, South Korea were knocked out by the defending champions, India, with a 1-4 defeat in the semi-final. In their pool stage encounter, South Korea had previously played to a 2-2 draw against their next opponent, Pakistan.
Raducanu struggled with injuries in the second half of 2024 post-Wimbledon, playing just 10 matches between then and the start of the Billie Jean King Cup, where she won all three of her outings.
However, a back spasm forced her to pull out of the Auckland Open, hindering her preparation for the Australian Open, with her first match taking place on Tuesday.
She will face Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round in Melbourne, her first meeting with the 26th seed.
Raducanu is undefeated in the first round at the Australian Open, winning all three of her previous such matches, but she is also the only WTA player to lose in the second round of the tournament in each of the last three seasons.
If she does so this time around, she could face Iga Swiatek in the third round, but Raducanu says she is confident despite her tough draw.
fafa212 slot"I mean, it's a tricky draw, of course, being unseeded, you can play any top opponent. She's a player with a lot of experience," she said.
"I guess I'm coming in with the underdog mentality. She's been in this situation many more times than I have. I back myself to the hills.
"I feel like I'm in a good place with how I'm approaching my tennis, how I'm feeling on the court."
A post shared by Emma. (@emmaraducanu)
Raducanu is the only player in the Open Era to secure a grand slam title as a qualifier with her US Open triumph in 2021.
The 22-year-old acknowledged she would have to play a lot of tennis against higher-ranked opponents after her disrupted 2024 but insisted that did not bother her.
"I feel like 'would have, should have, could have' is just something that doesn't really exist in sport in general," she said.
"I know that whenever I play any top opponent, with the way that I'm feeling on the practice court right now - I was practising with top-10 players, feeling pretty good out there - I think I can be a dangerous opponent for anyone really.
"I think you have to have that belief as a player. It's not really worth going on court if you don't believe you can win."
Despite a back injury stopping her from competing in Auckland, Raducanu is optimistic about her fitness levels heading into the first grand slam of the season.
"I had a really good block of training in London before the Billie Jean King Cup and after the tie, pretty much going straight back into it," she added.
"Just one morning I was warming up, bent over to tie my laces, and I had a spasm. That was really it. It took a while to clear.
"I've had them before. They've usually settled within a few days, but this one niggled for a couple of weeks. I had to miss quite a bit of training before I left and wasn't able to play Auckland.
"Now I'm feeling good and feel like I can give it my best hereps88, do good training and continue with that."