Emma Raducanu this afternoon begins her Wimbledon campaign against Alison Van Uytvanck on day one at the All England Club.
With women’s title holder Ash Barty now retired, the British No1 follows defending men’s champion Novak Djokovic on Centre Court on Monday afternoon as she looks to shrug off ongoing injury concerns and better last summer’s fairytale run to the fourth round on her debut at SW19.
Raducanu has struggled for form and fitness since that incredible US Open triumph last September, with a side strain blighting her build-up to Wimbledon and leading to doubts over her very participation.
However, the 19-year-old insists she is ready for only a second appearance in the main draw amid huge expectations at her home Grand Slam, but she’s been handed a very tough draw.
It’s tricky Belgian Van Uytvanck up first for the No10 seed, with the likes of Caroline Garcia, Madison Keys, Danielle Collins, Ons Jabeur, Anett Kontaveit and Iga Swiatek potentially up ahead if she is to battle her way through to the final.
Raducanu vs Van Uytvanck date and start time
Raducanu vs Van Uytvanck is the second match on Centre Court this afternoon (June 27), following the completion of Novak Djokovic’s opener against Kwon Soon-woo, which is due to start at 1:30pm BST.
How to watch Raducanu vs Van Uytvanck
TV channel: On Monday, the BBC’s Wimbledon coverage begins on the Red Button from 11am, with the BBC One programme commencing at 1:45pm.
Live stream: TV licence fee-payers can also stream all the tennis action live online via the BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app.
Live blog: You can also follow all the action as it happens with Standard Sport’s live blog, run by Matt Verri at Wimbledon.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
Raducanu and Van Uytvanck have only met once before, with the Briton winning in straight sets 7-6, 6-3 in the last 32 of the Chicago 125 tournament last August. Van Uytvanck was the top seed for that competition, so the result was a real upset at the time.
Raducanu vs Van Uytvanck prediction
Familiar fitness concerns over Raducanu still linger ominously and will not dissipate until she puts together a decent run of form.
This is her first time on Centre Court at Wimbledon and the pressure will be intense as she seeks to live up to her British No1 billing and reigning US Open champion status despite constant injury setbacks and scrutiny.
The road ahead is notably difficult and Van Uytvanck, the world No46, presents a tricky opening assignment. However, we’re backing Raducanu to feed off that fervent home support and get her campaign off to an impressive start.
