Emma Raducanu sets up clash against former Wimbledon champion with comfortable win

Emma Raducanu eased in the second round of Wimbledon with a win over fellow Brit Mimi Xu at the end of a sweltering first day in south west London.

Raducanu triumphed 6-3, 6-3 against the world No.300 on Court One, but, in truth, was still far from the scintillating best she showed in reaching the last 16 in 2024. The reward is an extremely tough match against 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova in the next round, with a potential third-round date with world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka possible after that.

The 22-year-old has been battling a niggling back problem in the build-up to Wimbledon, but there were no signs of discomfort. Raducanu didn't need to produce fireworks, instead simply outlasting her inexperienced opponent in rallies in the first set before a more topsy-turvy second.

After breaking in the opening game, it appeared that Xu might be overawed by the occasion. But the 17-year-old fought back admirably, and with a powerful first serve, challenged her friend on the other side of the net.

READ MORE: Carlos Alcaraz rushes to help as Wimbledon spectator falls ill in sweltering heat

READ MORE: Aryna Sabalenka reveals what a child spectator said to leave her stunned at Wimbledon

Xu actually hit more winners - eight to her opponent's seven - in the first set but also produced 16 unforced errors to Raducanu's four. And while there were plenty of shouts of encouragement from the stands for the Welsh player on her Grand Slam debut, she never threatened an upset.

Raducanu, who picked up a Champagne cork that had landed on the court in the break, repeated her trick from the first set by breaking at the first opportunity in the second, but this time Xu responded.

She took her first break point opportunity after a crowd-pleasing rally, but the British No.1 broke back straight away. Xu came back strongly again, breaking Raducanu's serve with some ground strokes that belied her age and the occasion.

The breaks kept coming, with Raducanu going 4-2 up with a huge forehand into the corner that prompted a loud celebration. After a flurry of breaks on either side, Raducanu held her serve to end Xu's resistance and move into the second round.

Raducanu had tried to play down her chances in the build-up to the home Grand Slam. “Truthfully I don’t expect much from myself this year,” she said on the eve of the tournament.

“I know I’ve been dealing with certain things. I just want to go out there and embrace the moment. I want to embrace the occasion. I know there’s not many opportunities to be playing at Wimbledon.

"You get it once a year and for a finite amount of time. I’m just looking forward to going out there and feeling the surroundings and the atmosphere.”