Emma Raducanu vs Renata Zarazua - LIVE!
At times, it wasn’t pretty but Emma Raducanu booked her place in the second round of Wimbledon on Monday two years after her last match at the All England Club. Raducanu had labelled herself a massive underdog when drawn against No22 see Ekaterina Alexandrova, 113 places higher than her in the world order.
But the Briton’s pre-match status changed on Monday morning when Alexandrova withdrew with illness and was replaced by the far less heralded Renata Zarazua.
The Mexican’s mercurial style rattled Raducanu for much of a tight two sets, knocking her off her rhythm and paving the way for a flurry of unforced errors. But in a see-saw contest, Raducanu was the deserving winner 7-6, 6-3. She likened it to England’s scrappy last-16 win at the Euros against Slovakia the previous night, calling it “winning ugly”.