Emma Raducanu said she had to “win ugly” as she sealed a 7-6 (7-0) 6-3 victory against Mexican lucky loser Renata Zarazua on her Wimbledon comeback.
Raducanu took advantage of her slice of good fortune to claim victory on her comeback at the All England Club and book a second-round clash on Wednesday with Belgium’s Elise Mertens.
Raducanu had been preparing to face 22nd seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, a big-hitting Russian who reached the fourth round here last year.
But Alexandrova withdrew through illness on Monday morning, and instead Raducanu’s opponent was Zarazua, who had never won a tour-level match on grass and was making her main draw debut here.
Zarazua, ranked 98, has an unconventional game and she made life very tricky for Raducanu in the opening set but the 21-year-old dug in well to secure victory and become the first British winner at the tournament.
“It was an incredibly difficult match,” said Raducanu, before drawing comparisons with England’s laboured display over Slovakia at Euro 2024. “It took a lot of strength to get over the line. All props to her. In the morning you’re not in the draw and then you’re playing in Centre Court.
“It took a little bit of adjusting and finding my feet. I just want to say thanks to everyone for the support. I’m incredibly happy to be back here of course. I was nervous for sure, I think people could see that in my tennis.
“Honestly, like watching the football last night, winning ugly… it all counts!”
David Beckham and Sir David Attenborough were among those watching from the Royal Box, and Raducanu made a statement of intent with a forehand return winner drilled down the line on the first point.
But Zarazua was not about to be blown off court, the diminutive 26-year-old using drop shots, lobs and chopped forehands to prevent Raducanu getting into a rhythm.
After saving a break point in the fourth game with a backhand cross-court winner that fizzed off the line, Raducanu moved ahead in the next game only to hand the advantage back as Zarazua made it 4-4.
Going into the tie-break it was anyone’s set, but a fired-up Raducanu seized the initiative from the start and did not lose a point.
Still it was by no means comfortable, with Raducanu saving two break points at 1-1 in the second set as she sought to find the balance between consistency and aggression.
The breakthrough came at 3-2 as Zarazua’s level dipped, and the 21-year-old had the chance to win the match with a second break.
She could not take it but she was nerveless serving it out, setting up another match point with a brilliant dinked forehand winner, and a backhand long from Zarazua sent Raducanu through.
Raducanu will not want to get too far ahead of herself but, with eighth seed Zheng Qinwen an early loser and the withdrawal of third seed Aryna Sabalenka through injury, her section of the draw is wide open.
Wild Card Lily Miyazaki joined Raducanu in the next round after producing a superb performance to upset Tamara Korpatsch 6-2 6-1.
The Tokyo-born 28-year-old more than doubled her prize money for the year, earning £93,000 for less than an hour’s work.
A comprehensive win over the German world No 73 secured a second-round meeting with 14th seed Daria Kasatkina on Wednesday.
Heather Watson’s 14th Wimbledon campaign lasted just one hour and 40 minutes after she was beaten in straight sets by her doubles partner Greet Minnen.
Watson, a wild card after slipping to 199 in the rankings, was the first British player in action on day one.
But the 32-year-old was also the first to depart after a 7-5 6-4 defeat to the Belgian world No 80.
Having trailed 4-1 in the first set, Watson won four straight games to serve for it at 5-4.
The serve let her down badly, though, as Minnen forged ahead while Watson was admonished by her mother, Michelle, for being “too lazy to move her feet”.
“She knows a lot about tennis,” said Watson. “I’m so grateful to have her and her support, her knowledge.
“Yeah, she’s maybe not the best tactically, but I would say she’s amazing at making sure I’m entered for all my tournaments and logistical stuff.”
The second set went with serve until a double fault brought up match point for Minnen which she dispatched to send the former British No 1 packing.
“I just didn’t really feel my game that well today,” Watson added. “I haven’t been serving a lot or hitting backhands a lot because of a back injury. Even still, the last couple of days I’ve been practising really well.
“But in tennis, it’s just such tiny margins and such fine details that can make a big difference. I just wasn’t able to find the court.”
Charles Broom’s Wimbledon debut ended in a straight-sets loss to three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka.
Broom, from St Albans, earned himself a wild card by reaching the final of the Challenger Tour event in Nottingham last month and the outcome might have been different had he managed to win the second set.
But he tightened up at the wrong moment and Wawrinka completed a 6-3 7-5 6-4 victory in an hour and 49 minutes, becoming just the 10th man in the open era to win a singles match here aged 39 or over.
Sonay Kartal made it a hat-trick of British female winners with a career-best victory over 29th seed Sorana Cirstea by a 3-6 6-2 6-0 score in the first round.
Kartal had dropped to 298 in the world after a difficult 12 months due to health problems and had to qualify for this year’s Championships.
Kartal saved the first two set points, but Cirstea claimed the opener at the third time of asking in 38 minutes without facing a break point.
It was a different story in the second, with Kartal finally able to fashion opportunities on Cirstea’s serve in a decisive sixth game which went the way of the Briton.
A forehand winner down the line by Kartal forced a decider, which started with a marathon 14-minute game.
Kartal eventually held and it wore down the resistance of world number 31 Cirstea, who was bageled after being broken three times in the final set.
Arthur Fery missed out on the chance to become the first British winner on day one after he lost in five sets to Daniel Altmaier.
World number 247 Fery sailed through the third set 6-1 to move one away from a maiden main-draw victory at the All England Club, but started to struggle physically on Court 16.
A medical timeout in the fourth provided brief respite for the 21-year-old and while the wild card left court before the fifth, it failed to stem the tide and he crashed out 4-6 7-6 (8) 1-6 6-3 6-1.
An early 3-1 lead was established in the second by Fery, but he was taken to a tie-break and squandered set point with Altmaier able to level up.
The Stanford University graduate recovered to win six of the next seven games to take the third set.
But with medical timeouts required for both men with Altmaier 2-1 up in the fourth, the German kicked on to clinch victory in three hours and 43 minutes.
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