US Open champion Emma Raducanu beat Alison van Uytvanck 6-4, 6-4 on Monday to the delight of a partisan crowd on Wimbledon’s Centre Court.
The 19-year-old British player, who was an injury doubt for the Grand Slam, struggled to impose herself early in the first-round match but broke serve in the seventh game.
Van Uytvanck broke back but Raducanu again seized the initiative by breaking again and survived a tough test on her serve to take the first set 6-4.
The pair swapped breaks in the second set and Raducanu broke again in the ninth game, comfortably holding serve and sealing victory with a backhand volley to the delight of the crowd.
“It’s an incredibly special feeling to be back at Wimbledon,” said the British number one, who reached the fourth round last year.
“I felt the support the minute I walked out and walking around the grounds. I want to say thank you to everyone who has been here supporting, through the tough times as well. It’s all worth it to play on Centre Court and come through with a win.”
Raducanu has struggled with a string of minor injuries since her sensational win at Flushing Meadows last year, including a side strain earlier this month.
The teenager did not drop a set in New York, becoming the first British female player to win a Grand Slam singles crown since Virginia Wade at Wimbledon in 1977.
But she has not won more than two matches at a tournament since.
She will take on France’s Caroline Garcia for a place in the last 32.
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