Raducanu powers through Wimbledon first-round test
British No 1 overcomes nervous start to secure straightforward victory over Vekic
The 19-year-old is set to face No 9 seed Maria Sakkari in the second round on Wednesday
Emma Raducanu says winning ugly on her Wimbledon return was all that mattered as she came through a testing first-round battle.
The British No 1, who is seeded 10th at the All England Club, made heavy weather of her clash with qualifier Moyuka Uchijima before eventually prevailing 6-3 6-3 on Court One.
Raducanu, who won the US Open last year, looked nervous from the outset and was broken in her opening service game.
But the 19-year-old regrouped and reeled off five games in a row to take control of the first set.
She was broken again early in the second set, but once more she hit back to book a second-round clash with No 9 seed Maria Sakkari.
"It wasn't easy," said Raducanu. "I knew it wasn't going to be. She's a great opponent. She's very tricky. She mixes up the pace a lot. She hits very flat. It was a bit windy out there, as well.
"I just had to really dig deep and find a way to win. I think I served okay. My return game wasn't the greatest, but I managed to get enough balls back in play and win those important points."
تعليقات