Raducanu, back at Wimbledon after many months of injury travails, was all smiles as she booked her second round place with a straight sets but far from straightforward 7-6 6-3 Centre Court win over Mexico's Renata Zarazua. Unforced errors ultimately don't mean much if you are the right side of the scoreline and while some of her stats may cause irritation, there were certainly no complaints from the 21-year-old. "I was nervous and I think people could see that in my tennis but I did want it took to get over the line," she said.
"I watched the England game and we know winning ugly counts too. It doesn’t always need to be beautiful or perfect. "It was a very difficult match, she just kept getting the ball back and it took a lot of strength to get over the line.
"There's a lot of emotions being on this court, nothing really compares to playing out there and in the crucial moments I needed that support too." 👋😁 @EmmaRaducanu #BackTheBrits 🇬🇧 | #Wimbledon pic.twitter.
com/mFBpGcB70N Raducanu's campaign had a boost before the gates opened, her scheduled opponent Ekaterina Alexandrova, the world number 22, pulling out through illness. Zarazua had been kicking her heels as a lucky loser, following her defeat in the third round of qualifying, but quickly took advantage of her late call-up. She looked less nervous than Raducanu in the early stages, though this was just her fourth Slam match and first Wimbledon appearance.
Realising she would perhaps struggle against the Br.
