At the age of 19, Emma Raducanu is already a national sporting treasure - and now she is officially a Centre Court favourite.
The US Open champion made her bow in the famous arena and defied injury worries and nerves to battle her way into the second round of the Wimbledon women’s singles draw with a straight-sets victory over Alison van Uytvanck.
Raducanu had the odd tough moment against the Belgian but showed the sort of fighting spirit that took her to that memorable Grand Slam triumph in the States last year. In a match lasting over two hours, the Kent teenager prevailed 6-4, 6-4, allaying fears that a side-strain problem might curtail her Wimbledon challenge. And the Centre Court crowd gave her a rousing ovation after a hard-fought victory.
