Emma Raducanu has enjoyed a rapid rise back to the upper echelons of British tennis following her injury struggles.
The 21-year-old currently occupies third place in the British women’s rankings, behind only Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart.
Raducanu’s form now means there are plenty of hopes on her to go far at Wimbledon, having missed out last year through injury.
But despite the pressure of performing in front of her home crowd, the former British number one has secured a second round spot.
She was, however, made to work hard for the win against Mexican lucky loser Renata Zarazua, who was replacing the ill Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Johanna Konta left ‘surprised’ by Emma Raducanu at Wimbledon
Having been handed a wildcard to play at Wimbledon, Raducanu clinched an opening round 7-6, (7-0) 6-3 win.
The Briton will be delighted with the result, but did admit to ‘winning ugly’ on centre court, comparing her display to England’s 2-1 victory over Slovakia at Euro 2024 the night before.
But former British number one Johanna Konta did not see things that way, saying on BBC TV: “I’m surprised Emma Raducanu thought she had won ugly.
“I thought she played consistently well, because when you feel like you’ve played ugly, it can also feel it’s because it’s how your opponent’s made you feel.
“I think Renata did a good job in making it uncomfortable out there but credit to Emma, she came through, playing a solid match.
“I think back to the first point – she didn’t do anything special but what she does really well is consistency.
“She plays each point consistently well, her level didn’t really drop off and that makes the difference between her and Renata.”
Can Emma Raducanu drive her way through Wimbledon?
Raducanu’s hard work has led to a second round meeting with Elise Mertens, with the Dutch ace beating Nao Hibino 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 in her opening match.
The Briton, who is currently ranked 135th in the world, will now be keen to keep her momentum going at Wimbledon after coming through an ‘incredibly difficult’ first round match.
Raducanu is certainly not the favourite to go on and lift the trophy given her injury issues and indeed the other players in the competition, but former British player Naomi Broady believes that underdog status will work in the youngster’s favour.
Konta meanwhile has been impressed by the player’s mental approach throughout that first round win on Monday.
“The tapping of the head, I think there’s nerves, there’s emotion, I think she was encouraging herself to stay mentally tough and I think she achieved that,” Konta added.
“She was quite vocal, trying to get some of that emotion out, but those are good things to see. It’s important to work through some of those emotions, especially in the first round.”
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