BRITISH wildcard Emma Raducanu has returned to the scene where he career exploded three years earlier, winning in straight set in the first round of Wimbledon. In front of a passionate home crowd, the nation’s talented young gun who rose to fame in 2021 after reaching a fourth round at the All-England club then remarkable claiming the US Open title – her first WTA Tour trophy no less – at 18, Raducanu made her way through to the Round of 64 with a 7-6 6-3 triumph over Mexican Renata Zarazua.

In a match that lasted a touch under two hours, Raducanu shook off a first set challenge from the world number 98 to have a perfect first set tiebreaker and then scoot away in the second set. After missing last year’s Championships, Raducanu found her best form hitting 17 winners to 14 through the match, and breaking twice to once from minimal chances.

The 21-year-old has often come under criticism for not being able to live up to the external expectations of winning a Grand Slam as a teenager, but Raducanu is finding belief within her own game and has hit some great form of late, feeling at home on the grasscourts.

“It was an incredibly difficult match,” Raducanu said post-match. “I don’t think I’ve played a defender, who has literally landed the ball on the baseline, she just kept getting the ball back.

“It took a little bit of adjusting, time to find my feet. It took a lot of strength to get over the line.

“I’m incredibly happy to be back here of course. For sure I was nervous, I think everybody could see that in my tennis a little bit, but at the end of the day you have to do whatever it takes.”

The Mexican was yet to win a WTA Tour match on grass, but broke the home nation hope late in the first set to go back to even after being down 2-4. The match went to a tiebreaker which the Brit took out to love, but Raducanu again went out to a 4-2 lead and this time she was not headed.

AROUND THE COURTS

Easily the biggest upset of the day went to New Zealand-Swiss qualifier Lulu Sun who took out eighth seed Qinwen Zheng in a come-from-behind victory. The world number 123 fought back from a set down to secure the 4-6 6-2 6-4 win, while Brit Sonay Kartal picked up her maiden Grand Slam victory with a 3-6 6-2 6-0 triumph over 29th seeded Romanian Sorana Cirstea. In a battle of the young guns, Brenda Fruhvirtova ended Mirra Andreeva‘s bid to match her hero Maria Sharapova‘s run to Wimbledon at the first point of asking, getting up 1-6 6-3 6-2.

WTA ROUND OF 128 RESULTS:

[2] Coco Gauff (USA) defeated Caroline Dolehide (USA) 6-1 6-2
[7] Jasmine Paolini (ITA) defeated Sara Sorribes Tormo (ESP) 7-5 6-3
Lulu Sun (NZL) defeated [8] Qinwen Zheng (CHN) 4-6 6-2 6-4
[9] Maria Sakkari (GRE) defeated McCartney Kessler (USA) 6-3 6-1
[12] Madison Keys (USA) defeated Martina Trevisan (ITA) 6-4 7-6
[14] Daria Kasatkina (RUS) defeated Shuai Zhang (CHN) 6-3 6-0
[18] Marta Kostyuk (UKR) defeated Rebecca Sramkova (SVK) 6-3 6-2
[19] Emma Navarro (USA) defeated Qiang Wang (CHN) 6-0 6-2
Brenda Fruhvirtova (CZE) defeated [24] Mirra Andreeva (RUS) 1-6 6-3 6-2
[25] Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) defeated Taylor Townsend (USA) 7-6 6-1
[26] Linda Noskova (CZE) defeated Sara Errani (ITA) 7-6 6-1
[28] Dayana Yastremska (UKR) defeated Nadia Podoroska (ARG) 6-1 7-6
Sonay Kartal (GBR) defeated [29] Sorana Cirstea (ROU) 3-6 6-2 6-0
Naomi Osaka (JPN) defeated Diane Parry (FRA) 6-1 1-6 6-4
Sloane Stephens (USA0 defeated Elsa Jacquemot (FRA) 6-3 6-3
Bianca Andreescu (CAN) defeated Jaqueline Cristian (ROU) 6-4 6-2
Varvara Gracheva (FRA) defeated Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) 6-3 6-1
Yafan Wang (CHN) defeated Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK) 6-0 3-6 6-4
Donna Vekic (CRO) defeated Xiyu Wang (CHN) 3-6 6-3 6-4
Arantxa Rus (NED) defeated Yue Yuan (CHN) 6-2 6-3
Elise Mertens (BEL) defeated Nao Hibino (JPN) 2-6 6-2 6-4
Clara Burel (FRA) defeated Eva Lys (GER) 6-2 6-4
Lin Zhu (CHN) defeated Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU) 6-0 6-4
Anca Todoni (ROU) defeated Olga Danilovic (SRB) 7-5 6-1
Daria Saville (AUS) defeated Peyton Stearns (USA) 6-4 6-2
Yulia Starodubtsewa (UKR) defeated Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL) 6-4 6-3
Diana Shnaider (RUS) defeated Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 4-6 6-4 7-5
Yuriko Lily Miyazaki (GBR) defeated Tamara Korpatsch (GER) 6-2 6-1
Paula Badosa (ESP) defeated Karolina Muchova (CZE) 6-3 6-2
Greet Minnen (BEL) defeated Heather Watson (GBR) 7-5 6-4
Erika Andreeva (RUS) defeated Emina Bektas (USA) 7-6 3-6 6-3