Rogers was one of the players Raducanu, who is playing her first major tournament for a year following surgery on both wrists and one ankle, beat on her way to the US Open title in 2021.
Raducanu made a positive return in Auckland last week, pushing Elina Svitolina in the second round before tiring, but alarm bells began ringing when she pulled out of first an exhibition match at Melbourne Park on Tuesday and then another exhibition at the Kooyong Classic on Thursday.
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However, Raducanu’s team insisted both were precautionary after she felt some soreness following a practice session on Monday and she practised for two hours at Melbourne Park on Thursday.
Raducanu looked relaxed and happy hitting with fellow British player Lily Miyazaki under the guidance of coach Nick Cavaday, with no strapping or obvious signs of discomfort.
Rogers is a kind draw on paper with the 31-year-old also coming off a long break having not played since Wimbledon and ranked down at 156.
All the British women avoided seeds in the first round, with Katie Boulter drawing China’s Yuan Yue and Jodie Burrage taking on German Tamara Korpatsch.
An intriguing women’s draw was headlined by top seed Iga Swiatek taking on 2020 champion Sofia Kenin, with the winner to play either another past winner in the returning Angelique Kerber or former finalist Danielle Collins.
Four-time grand slam champion Swiatek is the only one of that quartet who is yet to reach the final in Melbourne, although she will be a strong favourite to come through.
Naomi Osaka, who like Kerber is returning after having a baby, makes her grand slam comeback against 16th seed Caroline Garcia while reigning champion Aryna Sabalenka faces a qualifier.
Caroline Wozniacki’s first match in Melbourne since her retirement here in 2020 will be against 20th seed Magda Linette, with the Dane having returned to the sport last summer, reaching the fourth round of the US Open.
Andy Murray was the only British player to draw a seed, with the five-time former finalist taking on 25th-rated Argentinian Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
Should the Scot make the third round, he would expect to find himself up against top seed Novak Djokovic, who will open against a qualifier.
Cameron Norrie, the only British seed at 19, faces Peru’s Juan Pablo Varillas, with Jack Draper meeting American Marcos Giron and Dan Evans playing Italian Lorenzo Sonego.
Fourth seed Jannik Sinner was drawn in the top half as a potential semi-final opponent for Djokovic while Carlos Alcaraz and third seed Daniil Medvedev are in the bottom half.
The 27-year-old came through three matches to qualify at Flushing Meadows for the first time and then picked up a maiden grand slam win against Margarita Betova in round one.
But the world number 198 found 15th seed Bencic, of Switzerland, too tough a nut to crack as she bowed out 6-3 6-3.
Miyazaki still leaves New York with the consolation prize of having virtually doubled her earnings for the year with a £98,000 pay day for winning her first-round match.
A break early in the first set and two in the second set proved her undoing, although she did break the Bencic serve late on, prompting the 26-year-old to fling her racket to the ground.
But ultimately Bencic, a former semi-finalist, was too strong for the Tokyo-born debutant and broke again to seal the victory.
Miyazaki was supported once more by fellow Brit Jodie Burrage, who faces world number two Aryna Sabalenka in her second-round match on Thursday.
Burrage, who beat Anna Blinkova in straight sets on Tuesday night, said: “It’s a massive match. Probably one of the biggest ones I would have played in my career.
“But I’ll go out there and enjoy it like I always do. I’ll take the confidence from the matches I played this week and the last few weeks and months. Like everything, it’s lessons I’ve been learning from.”
Burrage feels her run here and to the second round at Wimbledon have earned her the respect of her peers in the locker room.
“I hope so. I hope that’s the reputation I’m getting,” she added.
“A few more of the girls, I start hitting with them, then you know them a little bit more. In the locker room, as well, it really is a place where you can chat to people and get to know people a little bit more.
“I’ve been speaking to Jessie Pegula a little bit because she’s in my bit of the locker room. Mostly we’re talking about the adidas outfit, what we’re wearing. Those little things start the conversations.
“But, yeah, hopefully they are building respect for me and finding who I am out as a player – hopefully not too soon because I think that surprise is helping me at the moment.”
British number one Katie Boulter has a big chance to move into the third round as she takes on Chinese world number 114 Wang Yafan.
The Tokyo-born Brit had a wild card for Wimbledon last year, but has now reached the main draw of a grand slam under her own steam for the first time.
Miyazaki, who earned a masters degree in mathematical science in the United States four years ago, beat Slovakia’s Viktoria Hruncakova in the final round of qualifying at Flushing Meadows.
The 27-year-old now has to solve the puzzle of how to get past Russian Margarita Betova on Monday for a first grand slam match win.
“Playing Wimbledon last year was amazing,” said Miyazaki. “But I think that, as a wild card, I don’t know how to explain it, but I don’t know if you truly believe like you belong.
“And I played Caroline Garcia, obviously she’s a pretty good player and I was really nervous going into that match. So hopefully this time I feel like I belong here. So that experience definitely helped me.”
Miyazaki joins Katie Boulter and Jodie Burrage as the British contingent in the women’s draw.
She also shares a coach, Craig Veal, with British number two Burrage, who was in the stands supporting her compatriot.
“For her to qualify, it was killing me,” said Burrage, 24. “When she was one-set all, I had to go to practice and throughout it I was shouting at my physio asking what the score was.
“I was hardly focusing on my practice because I wanted to be there watching her, but it’s so good she has qualified, with me and ‘Boults’ being in the main draw.
“It’s nice when you are friends and you can enjoy success with them and hopefully next week we can do some damage in the main draw. We’ve all got the games to be able to.”
Burrage faces Russian Anna Blinkova on Tuesday, while British number one Boulter meets France’s Diane Parry.
Britain’s Lily Miyazaki made a mark on her Flushing Meadows debut to reach round two.
Here, the PA news agency looks back at day one at the US Open.
Pic of the day
Former first lady Michelle Obama joined a ceremony to honour former champion and equality campaigner Billie Jean King, and celebrate 50 years since the US Open offered equal prize money to men and women.
Match of the day
Coco Gauff came from a set down in a thriller under the lights on Arthur Ashe against German qualifier Laura Siegemund. The American teenager, seeded sixth, eventually came through 3-6 6-2 6-4.
Shock of the day
Holger Rune tweeted a map of the Flushing Meadows site to highlight his frustration at being shoved out on Court Five. The Danish fourth seed’s irritation was clear as he slumped to a four-set defeat to Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena.
Stench of the day
It’s a hard court, not grass, but eighth seed Maria Sakkari complained to the umpire about the smell of “weed” wafting through the air during her surprise defeat by Rebeka Masarova.
Brit watch
Lily Miyazaki branded her US Open debut “surreal” after winning her first match at a grand slam.
There were echoes of Emma Raducanu after the 27-year-old qualifier, Britain’s sole representative on day one, beat Russian Margarita Betova 6-3 6-3.
“It’s huge for me, I think,” said Miyazaki. “Qualifying was also, like, obviously a huge confidence booster, but winning at the main draw, it just feels a bit surreal.”
The world number 199 may be unlikely to emulate Raducanu’s fairy-tale title win two years ago, but she still secured a near-£100,000 pay day and a high-profile second-round match against Olympic champion Belinda Bencic.
Fallen seeds
Women: Maria Sakkari (8), Veronika Kudermetova (16), Anhalina Kalinina (28), Elisabetta Cocciaretto (29).
Men: Holger Rune (4), Felix Auger-Aliassime (15), Lorenzo Musetti (18), Alexander Bublik (25), Sebastian Korda (31).
Who’s up next?
Day two sees the other six British hopefuls begin their campaigns. Former champion Andy Murray will be on the Grandstand Court against Frenchman Corentin Moutet. Cameron Norrie, Dan Evans, Jack Draper, Jodie Burrage and Katie Boulter are also in action along with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
