Wimbledon Briefing – UK Results: Emma Raducanu and Cam Norrie lead British victories on first day

Day one of Wimbledon marked the start of the first round for several local players, who filled the main draw with 23 representatives across the ATP and WTA tours, a record in over 40 years. In addition to some wildcards looking towards the future, Emma Raducanu and Cam Norrie secured opening victories.

It was also an opportunity for Katie Boulter to shine, as she secured a notable victory against Paula Badosa, while several local young stars debuted, including a couple of surprises that eliminated some seeded players in both the men's and women's draws.

Raducanu secures straight-sets win over teen wildcard

Emma Raducanu had a straightforward debut against one of the youngest players in the tournament, 17-year-old wildcard Mingge Xu (No. 318). It was a match where the favoritism was clear for the world No. 40, who clinched a hard-fought 6-3, 6-3 win, being especially effective on return against the inexperienced local.

Raducanu secured 7 breaks on 12 opportunities, while Xu managed two breaks on 4 chances. Nevertheless, Raducanu gained an early lead in both sets, which proved key to securing the win. In the second round, she will have a true blockbuster against the 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, in a match that will surely occupy one of the main courts.

Norrie battles past Bautista Agut in four sets

Amidst injuries in the past year, Cam Norrie has had a good few months since returning to the courts and secured a complicated victory against Roberto Bautista Agut by 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(3). He reached semifinals at the Geneva Open and the fourth round at the French Open – both losses to Novak Djokovic – and begins his Wimbledon journey by defeating the 37-year-old Spaniard, who came from great grass-court preparation, reaching semifinals at the Queen's Club Championships and quarterfinals in Mallorca, in addition to a couple of Top 20 victories.

Norrie maintained good consistency throughout the more than 3 hours of play, with 18 aces and 70% first serves in, winning 71% of them. He converted 8 breaks on 11 opportunities, while Bautista Agut broke three times on 7 chances. Norrie was clearly superior in terms of aggressiveness with 60 winners against his opponent's 41 and will face a complicated second round against the 12th seed Frances Tiafoe.

Boulter stuns world No. 9 Paula Badosa

Katie Boulter secured a hard-fought victory against world No. 9 Paula Badosa by 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in what marks her 4th career win against a Top 10 tennis player. The world No. 43 showed that she is one of the dangerous players on grass courts despite not being seeded, and with the support of the home crowd, she stood strong in the final part of the match to clinch the victory.

Boulter eliminates the first Top 10 player of the tournament on day one, on Center Court. It was a nervous match from both sides, where Boulter was more aggressive with 27 winners to Badosa's 15. The Brit won a remarkable 63% of points on her first serve and will face Argentine lucky loser Solana Sierra in the second round.