Emma Raducanu wins Wimbledon opener to reach second round

Emma Raducanu's first steps on to Centre Court were greeted by cheers from the home crowd

British number one Emma Raducanu made a winning start to her first Wimbledon as a Grand Slam champion with a straight-set victory over Alison van Uytvanck.

Backed by an enthusiastic home crowd, the US Open champion showed no sign of the side injury that hampered her build-up to the event.

She will face French former world number four Caroline Garcia next.

A year ago Raducanu burst on to the scene with a run to the Wimbledon fourth round having come into the tournament ranked 338th in the world.

This time she arrived as the 10th seed and as a Grand Slam champion and she was greeted as such by a passionate crowd that played its part in getting her through.

"I'm extremely pleased to have come through that match and looking forward to hopefully playing in front of you guys again," she said in her on-court interview.

"I've been feeling it [crowd support] ever since I stepped on to the practice courts, people behind me going, 'Emma, you've got this'. And I'm like, 'Yeah, I've got this'.

"I'm just so happy to stay another day."

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Raducanu shakes off rust and injury

This was a difficult draw for Raducanu against world number 46 Van Uytvanck, who reached the fourth round here in 2018 after beating the then defending champion Garbine Muguruza in the second round.

The Belgian had also won two second-tier grass titles in the run-up to Wimbledon this year.

By contrast, the Briton's grass-court campaign had been derailed by a left side injury that forced her to retire from her Nottingham opener in the first set and ruled her out of Birmingham and Eastbourne.

It meant she arrived at Wimbledon with just seven games on grass to her name this year, and she was playing only her seventh match as a professional on the surface.

Whether it was the occasion of walking through the new central entrance on to Wimbledon's main show court, or the lack of match practice, Raducanu made a slow start in her first service game as she fended off three break points in a lengthy game featuring six deuces.

After trading breaks midway through the first set, Raducanu made the key breakthrough with a break to love for 5-4 before a series of Van Uytvanck errors, including a backhand into the net on the second set point that handed the opener to the Briton.

Raducanu had the chance to take an early lead in the second set but she just could not convert any of the six break points she had in the opening game.

She seemed to start moving a little slower between points in the second set but a break for 5-4 quite literally put a spring in her step and she sealed victory with a beautiful crosscourt backhand after bringing Van Uytvanck to the net with a drop shot.

Centre Court leaped to its feet and Raducanu herself was jumping up and down as she celebrated her success.