Emma Raducanu says she has nothing to lose and will try to swing freely as she faces Iga Swiatek, the world No 2 and five-time grand slam champion, in the third round of the Australian Open on Saturday in one of the biggest matches of her career outside her 2021 US Open title run.

“I really relish [big occasions],” said Raducanu. “I love the big ­stadiums, the big matches. It’s something that I just really enjoy doing. And it’s so nice to also just go a round further than I did in the last three years that I played here. Australia is somewhere where I really like playing. I like the conditions, I like the crowd and the support here has been amazing, with a lot of union jacks in the crowd as well, which is great. It’s a match that I’m looking forward to.”

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