A last-minute change of opponent was no problem for Emma Raducanu on Day 1 of Wimbledon on Monday, as the 2021 US Open champion toppled lucky loser Renata Zarazua 7-6(0), 6-3 to make a winning return to the All England Club.
After missing the Championships 12 months ago while she recovered from surgery on her ankle and wrists, Raducanu was slated to open her tournament against No.22 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, but her seeded opponent withdrew in the early hours of play on Monday with an illness, leading to the former Top 10 player to instead face Zarazua, the World No.98 who lost in the final round of qualifying.
Despite also being an underdog by ranking due to her current perch of World No.135 — Alexandrova reached the fourth round of Wimbledon 12 months ago, and twice won the grass-court Libema Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch — Raducanu took advantage of the gulf in grass-court experience between the two to earn her fifth career Wimbledon victory in her seventh main-draw match at her home Grand Slam tournament.
She saved four of the five break points she faced, and never lost serve in the second set, en route to wrapping up the win in 1 hour and 57 minutes.
“It was an incredibly difficult match. I’ve barely, if ever, played a defender who’s literally landed the ball on the baseline or just kept getting the ball back. It took a lot of strength to get over the line,” Raducanu said. “It’s not easy when you’re not in the draw in the morning, and then you’re playing on Centre Court, so all props to her.
“I found out at like 10:30 today. For the last three days, we’ve been planning, setting up practices for similar opponents, and then all of a sudden, it’s a change of plans. It took a little adjusting to find my feet … but I really enjoyed being back here.”
Raducanu is now 8-1 in the first round of Grand Slam tournaments in her career, and will next face Belgian Elise Mertens, who was a three-set winner over Japan’s Nao Hibino in her own first-round match.