Emma Raducanu's next opponent at the Australian Open has debuted a bold new look on social media.
Raducanu booked her place in the second round of the competition after a creditable 7-6, 7-6 victory against 26th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in Melbourne.
As a result, Raducanu will face American tennis star Amanda Anisimova in the next round, who had previously walked away from the sport after being targeted by trolls.
Anisimova, 23, returned to tennis last year after taking an eight-month break from the sport to focus on her mental health amid frequent messages about her appearance.
However, almost exactly 12 months after ending her hiatus, the former French Open semi-finalist completed a stunning transformation after ditching her usual blonde hair for a dark brunette look.
Amanda uploaded a photo of herself showing off her new hair color on Instagram and wrote: “Why not?”
Emma Raducanu has booked her place in the second round of the Australian Open
She will face American tennis star Amanda Anisimova, who returned to tennis last year.
Anisimova recently ditched her blonde hair for a new brunette look in a social media post.
At just 21 years old, Anisimova briefly stepped away from tennis after social media trolls brutally mocked her for having “giant boobs.”
Before announcing that she would be taking a break from the sport, the New Jersey-born star, whose parents immigrated to the US from Russia, shared a screenshot of a user's cruel mockery of her on Instagram.
'The least athletic body ever seen! Narrow shoulders and giant breasts,” the message said.
She initially responded to the comment with 'Thank you' and a kiss emoji before sharing it on her story and writing: 'I don't know what to think? ha ha ha.'
Anisimova then added: “The number of people who comment on my body every day on social media… will never understand what hyperfixation is all about.”
After losing in the first round of the Madrid Open in 2023, Anisimova revealed that she would be stepping away from the sport as she struggled with her mental health.
'Hi guys. I thought I'd do a post explaining what's been going on and my plans,” he explained. “I've really been struggling with my mental health and burnout since summer 2022.
'It has become unbearable to be in tennis tournaments. At this point my priority is my mental well-being and taking a break for a while. I have worked as hard as I could to overcome it. “I will miss being there and appreciate all the continued support.”
She previously had blonde hair throughout her tennis career before making the bold switch.
Despite her new look, Raducanu hopes to outdo the American in their clash.
Since her return in January 2024, Anisimova, currently ranked 36th in the world, has played the US Open, the French Open and the Australian Open twice, reaching the fourth round of the latter competition last year. .
Raducanu, meanwhile, generally played well in his first match, with impressive problem-solving on the fly, aided by the occasional word from coach Nick Cavaday, winning only his fourth Grand Slam match against a seeded opponent.
The British No. 2 appeared to be debuting another adjustment to her serve, this time a grip change, and her second delivery was extremely inconsistent.
The first serve was good (57 percent and nine aces), but in the first set Raducanu won only 18 percent of his points on the second serve. Double faults were the main culprit, but even as the second serve came in, Alexandrova was brutalizing it. The fact that Raducanu was still able to take the set showed how well the rest of his game was working.