Xu walking on air after advancing to Wimbledon second round
It was only on Monday that Xu made her Grand Slam singles debut when she took on Emma Raducanu and with the milestones coming thick and fast, Xu is enjoying every moment.
"It feels amazing and to do it with Ella as well," said Xu. We're really good friends on and off the court so to get through to the second round and our first Grand Slam wins feels amazing.
"We played with each other three years ago and won a tournament there and carried on that winning streak so we get on really well. It was a bit of a last minute pairing and we're glad that it happened.
"We were able to stay positive throughout the whole match. We played the right way, aggressively and went after it and that gave us the edge."
McDonald added: "We're really happy. We played together a couple of years ago and haven't played since then so it's really nice to get back together on-court.
"We compliment each other really well and keep pushing each other in tighter moments and using our set plays and have a really positive energy."
Xu and McDonald's next challenge is a meeting with the seeded all-American pair of Caroline Dolehide and Sofia Kenin.
Wimbledon is famous for its fervent support of home talent and Xu hopes to use the adoration of the crowd as the launchpad to further success in SW19.
"At the moment, we're not feeling too much pressure," said Xu. "We're the young ones. We're the underdogs all the time and it's a good chance to play with that freedom. We've been enjoying every moment and using the crowd to our advantage.
"They love a British underdog, a combo like that so it's a really good atmosphere there for us to go out and play."
McDonald added: "Considering it's our first Grand Slam doubles debut, there's not much pressure at all because we're just going out there to have fun and to have a swing and you never know what can happen. We just take it one day at a time."
For the latest action on the British summer grass court season, check out the LTA website.
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