Home hope Emma Raducanu made a winning first-round return to Wimbledon and heads into Wednesday's second-round match against Elise Mertens keen to continue her commendable grass-court form.
The 2021 US Open champion defeated Renata Zarazua in straight sets and faces her Belgian opponent who needed three to get the better of Japan's Nao Hibino.
Match preview
© Reuters
Having skipped Roland Garros to be in prime condition for a strong push at Wimbledon, Raducanu returned to the Championships with a 7-6(0), 6-3 win over Zarazua, who replaced Ekaterina Alexandrova following the latter's late withdrawal through illness.
The former top 10 player admitted to struggling to adapt to the Mexican's defensive approach, as she had prepped for Alexandrova's front-footed and aggressive style. Regardless, the 21-year-old's performance sufficed to claim her first win at the home Slam since 2022 in nearly two hours.
While Raducanu believes there is room for improvement, the returning player's eyes must have lit up on Monday seeing the withdrawals of her expected first-round opponent and No. 3 seed Aryna Sabalenka and 2018 finalist Victoria Azarenka.
That half of the draw has opened up with No. 2 seed Coco Gauff, the returning Naomi Osaka, French Open finalist Jasmine Paolini and possibly Sloane Stephens Raducanu's top threats if she advances into the latter rounds; however, last year's US Open champion has never made it beyond the fourth round at the Championships, Osaka's peak has been the third, Paolini's first-ever tournament-opening Wimbledon win came in her fourth attempt on Monday and Stephens has only ever made it to one quarter-final in 11 appearances at the Slam.
That underscores the openness of the bottom half of the women's draw, possibly opening the door to Raducanu, who made it to the semis in Nottingham and quarters in Eastbourne in the lead-up to the third major of 2024.
Standing in the Briton's path to a third-round match is Mertens following the Belgian's 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 turnaround against Hibino to avoid a first tournament-opening loss at a Slam since the 2022 US Open.
While the 28-year-old has never made the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, the No. 33-ranked player typically advances to the fourth round.
However, the Belgian will remember last year's second-round elimination to eventual semi-finalist Elina Svitolina, possibly giving her reason to be anxious before facing in-form home favourite Raducanu.
Also worrying for Mertens is her pre-Wimbledon form, underlined by second-round exits in 's-Hertogenbosch, Birmingham and Eastbourne.
That does not bode well for her prospects before facing a motivated Raducanu and a partisan crowd, and it remains to be seen if the Belgian thrives in the potentially uncomfortable environment.
Tournament so far
Emma Raducanu:
First round: vs. Renata Zarazua 7-6[0] 6-3
Elise Mertens:
First round: vs. Nao Hibino 2-6 6-2 6-4
Head To Head
Both players face off for the first time on Wednesday, adding intrigue to a match that could go either way.
While neither has had title triumphs on the singles tour this year, Mertens has notched three in doubles. Neither Raducanu nor Mertens has had significantly commendable winning streaks in 2024, even if the Briton's win rate of 59% marginally outdoes the Belgian's 53%.
The home player will be keen to prevent her opponent from dominating on her forehand wing, having hit 10 winners against Hibino in Monday's first-round victory.
We say: Raducanu to win in three sets
Despite looking shaky at times on her return to Wimbledon, Raducanu should build on that performance in what is expected to be a closely contested second-round match. This one could go either way, but the home support and the Briton's superior form on grass should see her edge over Mertens on Wednesday.
Germany
Switzerland
Hungary
Scotland
