Emma Raducanu got her Wimbledon campaign off to an encouraging start as she beat Renata Zarazua 7-6 (0), 6-3 in the first round on Monday in front of a delighted home crowd on centre court.
The former US Open champion, who missed last year’s championships after undergoing surgery on both wrists and an ankle, was forced to work hard for her straight-sets victory against the world No. 98.
She had been drawn to face Renata Zarazua, but the No. 22 seed pulled out of the tournament with illness earlier on Monday, resulting in Zarazua being drafted in as the lucky loser at short notice.
Zarazua made life difficult for the Brit as she sought to build long rallies that tested Raducanu’s ability to get around the court following her lengthy injury layoff.
But Raducanu took control of proceedings when she broke the Mexican’s serve in the sixth game of the second set to put her on the cusp of victory. An overhit backhand from the Mexican on match point proved enough to ensure Raducanu’s passage into the second round where she will face Elise Merten.
“For the past three days, I’ve been playing and setting up practice for similar opponents and then it is a change of plan,” Raducanu told the BBC.
“It took a little bit of adjusting and finding my feet. But I’d like to thank everyone for their support in the crucial moments. I enjoyed playing back here.”
Earlier on Monday, British women’s No. 6-ranked Heather Watson was knocked out, losing her first round match against Belgian opponent Greet Minnen in straight sets.
Watson, who was given a wild card to play in her 14th Wimbledon, was no match for the world No. 80 as she was beaten 7-5, 6-4.
The match lasted an hour and 40 minutes in front of a capacity crowd at Court 18. Watson rallied in the first set to recover from a slow start to the match but ultimately Minnen forced her way into a set lead.
The second set went with the serve until Watson double-faulted, bringing up match point for Minnen who made no mistake as she booked her place in the second round.
Elsewhere, Liam Broady lost to Botic van de Zandschulp in the men’s singles on Court 12 as the British 30-year-old failed to make a run at the championships. He reached the third round in 2022 and 2023.
Charles Broom also failed to progress to the second round as he lost to Stan Wawrinka in straight sets.
The 39-year-old three-time major winner won 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 with 11 aces and just one double fault across the three sets.
British wild card Broom served for the second set at 5-3 up before Wawrinka made his experience tell to wrestle back control of the match, setting up a second-round clash with either Gael Monfils or Adrian Mannarino.
Arthur Fery fell to defeat against Daniel Altmaier on Court 16, letting a 2-1 set lead slip as the German took the match 4-6, 7-6(6), 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 in a clash that saw both players require medical attention in the fourth.
Despite the four first round exits, there was further British success in the women’s field where Yuriko Miyazaki kept her tournament alive with an impressive display to beat Tamara Korpatsch 6-2, 6-1 on Court 16.