Emma Raducanu beats Mimi Xu in Wimbledon first round as Welsh teen praised on debut

Wales Online

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Emma Raducanu beats Mimi Xu in Wimbledon first round as Welsh teen praised on debut
The Swansea-born player, 17, knocked out in straight sets by the British No.1
Emma Raducanu beats Welsh teen Mimi Xu at Wimbledon
(Image: Tim Merry )
Emma Raducanu knows a thing or two about teenage upsets but she made sure she was not the victim of one by swatting aside young compatriot Mimi Xu.
It is four years since Raducanu launched her rocket to stardom by reaching the last 16 of Wimbledon as an 18-year-old.
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Xu is only 17, and she will surely have many more chances to write her own success story at SW19, but she was unable to really test the British number one's nerve, with Raducanu easing to a 6-3 6-3 victory.
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It was a solid start to the former US Open champion's campaign but things get significantly tougher from here with in-form Marketa Vondrousova up next.
Raducanu's win over the Czech in the second round in 2021 was the result that first made the tennis world sit up and take notice, but Vondrousova earned her place in Wimbledon history two years later by becoming the first unseeded women's singles champion.
Raducanu was happy to clear the first hurdle, saying: "I'm super pleased to have come through that match. It's so difficult playing another Brit first round. When the draw came out, I can't say I was loving it."
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Raducanu and Xu are friendly. They hit together at the Billie Jean King Cup finals in November while Raducanu practises her Mandarin by speaking to Xu's mother.
Shared heritage or not, this was a contest Raducanu wanted to stamp her authority on quickly, and she did just that.
It has not been an easy build-up for the 22-year-old, who has been dealing with some bad personal news as well as a niggling back problem.
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She smiled and waved as she entered Court One to cheers, though, while Xu had her ears covered by large headphones.
The Swansea player made a nervous start and Raducanu immediately broke serve but holding a long third game settled Xu down and she began to show why she is considered such a good prospect.
Xu sent down serves close to 120mph and troubled Raducanu on occasion with her powerful ground strokes but a missed second serve return at 4-3 30-30 showed her inexperience, and the first set disappeared in a slew of errors.
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While Xu left the court to change, Raducanu showed she is not above a bit of mid-match litter picking, collecting a champagne cork that had flown from the stands on to the court with a chuckle and putting it in a bin.
Xu's best moments came early in the second set when she twice broke the Raducanu serve, earning her reward for staying on the front foot and going for the lines.
She could not hold her own delivery, though, and Raducanu clinched her first match point after an hour and 25 minutes to maintain her record of never having lost in the first round.
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With Hannah Klugman also losing, hopes of a breakout teenage star rested on the shoulders of US Open junior champion Mika Stojsavljevic.
Anne Keothavong, former British number one, said on the BBC: "This was always going to be a big challenge and a big ask of Mimi Xu.
"I'm sure her coach Nigel Sears will be very proud of her performance out here."