Tennis
Local favourite Raducanu into second round at Wimbledon─── MORGAN PIEK 08:16 Tue, 28 Jun 2022
There were no major upsets on day one of the ladies’ singles at Wimbledon in London.
The 2018 champion and 15th seed, Angelique Kerber of Germany had no trouble in dispatching Kristina Mladenovic of France with a 6-love, 7-5 win.
The 10th seed and reigning US Open champion, Emma Raducanu of Britain, also advanced to the second round.
Raducanu beat Alison Van Uytvanck of Belgium 6-4 and 6-4.
The 19-year-old Raducanu speaks of her first experience on Centre Court.
“It’s an incredibly special feeling to be back,” said Raducanu.
“I felt the support the minute I walked out. I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me through the last year, including the tough times.
“It’s all worth it to come through with a win. I know Alison’s an extremely tricky opponent. On grass, where the ball stays so low, it’s tricky to neutralise her great serve – she hits the ball really hard. I’m extremely pleased and looking forward to coming out in front of you guys again.”
On Tuesday the world number one Iga Swiatek of Poland will be up against Jana Fett of Croatia, while the 23-time Grand Slam champion, Serena Williams, faces Harmony Tan of France.
