Emma Raducanu Ekes Out Ugly Wimbledon Win After Euphoria
Battling through some frustrating periods she came from a break down in the first set to reach the second round
WATCH: Raducanu's Wimbledon Post-Match Interview
Emma Raducanu evoked the spirit of England's "ugly" last-16 win over Germany at Euro 2020 after battling through a frustrating Wimbledon opener.
Returning to SW19 for the first time since her US Open triumph, the British No 1 was pushed all the way by Mexico's Renata Zarazua before prevailing 7-6 (4) 6-3.
Having dropped her serve in the opening game, Raducanu hit back immediately and twice had the chance to serve for the set at 5-3 and 6-5, only to be broken on both occasions.
The 19-year-old admitted she had been "a little bit tight" but, having edged the tie-break, she broke Zarazua in the opening game of the second set and never looked back, wrapping up the win in one hour and 48 minutes.
"It definitely wasn't the prettiest match but I'm really happy to have come through and played the way I did," Raducanu said.
"I think the most important thing was to win because playing at Wimbledon, you don't want to be in the draw for too long, so I'm happy that I managed to get through in two sets."
Raducanu, who will face Caroline Garcia in the second round, admitted she had not played her best tennis but insisted that was not necessarily a bad thing.
"I think that's the beauty of the game," she said.
"You're not going to play unbelievably every single match and you have to find a way to win even when you don't."
Raducanu also said she was not feeling any pressure to repeat her US Open heroics, adding: "I think winning the US Open was an amazing experience but it's in the past now and I'm just trying to look forward."
In the men's draw, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner both made impressive starts to their campaigns.
Alcaraz, the world No 5 and second seed, beat Jan-Lennard Struff 4-6 7-5 4-6 7-6 (3) 6-4, while Sinner, the 10th seed, saw off Stan Wawrinka 7-5 4-6 6-3 6-2.
British debutant Ryan Peniston also enjoyed a memorable day, beating Henri Laaksonen 6-4 6-3 6-2 to reach the second round.
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