Emma Raducanu marked her territory in the most ruthless style as she scored a straight-sets win over 17-year-old Mimi Xu: a fellow Briton who felt like a flashback to her own younger self.
On a day of a record seven British victories, Raducanu’s tennis was solid and efficient. Yet it was her demeanour that really caught the eye. I am talking about the numerous first-pumps and shouts of “Come on!” Or the way she did not apologise for net cords in the normal fashion, nor inquire about Xu’s health when she slipped over a couple of times.
Even the handshake – between two players who purport to be friends – was perfunctory. Afterwards, Raducanu explained that she had felt particularly motivated by the unusual dynamic of facing a compatriot, which she had not experienced before at a major.
“It’s really awkward playing a Brit, especially someone younger,” said Raducanu after her 6-3, 6-3 win. “I just really wanted to win that match. I thought it was Tim Henman out there, to be honest, so it was difficult to get through.”
This last comment was a reference to the amount of support Xu received, especially when breaking back for 1-2 in the second set. For those of us watching in the stands, it still felt as though Raducanu – who remains a hugely popular figure – was more favoured by the fans. But you could see why she might have felt sensitive.
As she approaches her 18th birthday in October, Xu is almost a year younger than Raducanu had been when she made her own debut in the Wimbledon main draw, famously reaching the fourth round and delivering an eye-catching win over Sorana Cirstea on this same No 1 Court.
So if Raducanu had come to grief in this match, there would have been a sense of a wheel turning. Which is where the extra motivation stemmed from. At 22, she feels far too young to be making room for the next generation.
Xu did not seem to suffer from any hurt feelings, as she spoke warmly about Raducanu after the match. “It’s such an honour to play against her on my debut,” said Xu. “She’s such a hard worker because I train with her at the National Tennis Centre. It’s someone I really look up to and someone who really inspires me.”
In the early stages of the match Xu looked understandably nervous. Yes, she had clocked up three matches on the WTA Tour since the start of the grass-court season, and even collected a top-100 win against Katie Volynets, of the United States. But it was a different order of challenge to go out in front of 12,000-odd fans on No 1 Court, in her first senior match at a major.
They say your feet stop moving when the nerves kick in, and there was one moment in particular when Xu got herself in a real tangle. Running forward for a volley, her toes stuck in the turf, sending her tumbling face-first on to the court.
Fortunately, Xu was unhurt, and she began to come into the match more in the second set. Her forehand was potent at times, and she delivered a powerful serve, with a top speed that touched 118mph.
“I enjoyed every moment,” Xu said. “It’s really put belief in me, ignited a fire within me that I can do this, and I belong here.”
As for Raducanu, it was a characteristically poised performance in which she almost always chose the right shot, controlling play from the baseline while giving up precious few unforced errors.
The only time when Raducanu dropped her intense game-face was when Xu took a bathroom break between sets. During those few minutes of hiatus, someone in the stands popped a bottle of champagne. The cork flew in an elegant parabola on to the middle of the court, whereupon Raducanu retrieved it with a broad grin.
“It was a first,” she said afterwards, with another big smile. “Pretty entertaining. I’m glad they were having a good time. It loosened me up a bit at the end of the first set. I can’t not laugh at that.”
“It’s my favourite tournament by far 🫶”
Emma Raducanu is loving the feeling of being back at #Wimbledon after completing a first round victory over Mimi Xu ♥️ pic.twitter.com/7Mqefo1fW1
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 30, 2025
As Xu lifted her level, Raducanu responded. The TennisViz analytics team give ratings out of 10 for each shot, and they found that her forehand quality climbed from 7.8 to 8.6 after the break, while her return of serve also improved.
Yet life is likely to become substantially tougher for Raducanu on Wednesday, when she faces 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova in the second round. These two players met in Abu Dhabi this year, and Vondrousova – who is a tricky left-hander with an awkward and unusual game – won 6-3, 6-4.
“I remember watching her when she was making the final of the French [Open],” said Raducanu of the then 19-year-old Vondrousova, who beat Britain’s Johanna Konta in the 2019 semi-finals at Roland Garros.
“She was so young there. Always seemed way further ahead than me. Then she had a wrist surgery and came back and won Wimbledon, which is incredible. So she’s a really, really talented player. She just won the WTA 500 in Berlin so it’s going to be a really difficult match.”
Record day for Britain’s ‘magnificent seven’
Raducanu led Britain’s tennis players to a record-breaking seven singles wins on a scorching opening day at Wimbledon.
On what was also the hottest ever start to the Championships, the home crowd were treated to the most British wins in a single day at the All England Club. Stand out victories also included a brilliant three-set win on Centre Court by Katie Boulter against the ninth-seeded Spaniard Paula Badosa, as well as a fairytale debut for world No 733 Oliver Tarvet, whose student status meant forfeiting almost £100,000 in prize money.
Sonay Kartal and Arthur Fery also respectively upset the women’s and men’s 20th seeds, Jelena Ostapenko and Alexei Popyrin, while Cameron Norrie and Billy Harris both made smooth progress into Wednesday’s second round.
“It feels amazing – it’s incredible to have so many Brits in the draw,” said Raducanu, following a 6-3, 6-3 win in 85 minutes against Mimu Xi, a 17-year-old wild card from Swansea, who has been completing A-Level exams in biology during the grass-court season.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Tarvet after his straight sets win against Leandro Riedi that sets up a second-round tie against the defending two-time men’s champion Carlos Alcaraz.
There could also have been even more British winners in the 32C heat, with Harriet Dart only losing 7-5 in the final set against Dalma Galfi after leading 5-4. The previous single day record was six British winners on the first Tuesday in 2022.
Britain’s highest seeded player – Jack Draper – will be heavy favourite to progress past Argentina’s Sebastian Baez on Court One on Tuesday, while the all-home clash of Dan Evans and Jay Clarke guarantees the progress of at least one more Briton into the second round. A total of 23 home players is the most Britain has had in the singles since 1984 when John McEnroe won the last of his three Wimbledon titles, and with 12 more British players in action on Tuesday, the record of 10 second-round qualifiers – set in that same year – looks likely to be broken.
“I think now no one looks at it like, ‘Oh my god, I hope I play a British guy,’” said McEnroe. “For the most part, all the British players in the draw now are legit players.”
A look at the world rankings confirms that this year is not some sort of freak but the continuation of a trend that has seen a steady increase in the number of British players in both the world’s top 100 and top 200.
The Lawn Tennis Association believes we are now seeing the fruits of Sir Andy Murray’s inspirational two decades at SW19, as well as an improvement in facilities and standards under chief executive Scott Lloyd that has seen the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton awarded gold level status by the International Tennis Federation.
As well as Murray and Raducanu, Kyle Edmund, Johanna Konta, Norrie and Draper have reached at least the semi-final of a grand slam tournament over the past decade.
“I’d say [the higher number of top-200 players] is a mix of things, there’s not one specific reason,” said Kartal, one of three British women in the world’s top 50. “We’ve got a lot of good sparring partners when we’re back home and we’re all pushing each other. I think there’s a healthy rivalry and that adds to it.”
06:55 PM BST
Raducanu wins!
Xu reads two Raducanu serves well, taking the first high and early, then hitting her second return deep to go 30-ahead. She raises a fist to her coach Nigel Sears, incidentally Andy Murray’s father-in-law, who smiles in acknowledgement.
However, Raducanu holds her nerve to go 40-30 ahead and secures the match 6-3, 6-3 with another, bold service winner.
06:52 PM BST
Raducanu 6-3, 5-3 Xu*
Xu, having been given the new balls, loses the first but hits a winner with her second. She is unfortunate that her first serve is then called long but, continuing to show impressive competitiveness, dares to hit a heavy second serve and edges 30-15 ahead.
Raducanu benefits from another, lucky strike of the net cord but Xu, with little to lose, then attacks the net and draws a wayward backhand from her opponent. Xu then wins the game with a neat, serve-and-volley combination.
06:48 PM BST
Raducanu* 6-3, 5-2 Xu
With the finish in sight, Raducanu puts the hammer down and races to another 40-lead. Xu is able to slow her march, winning two points, thanks on the second occasion down to a rare forehand error from Raducanu.
A lucky clip of the net then gives her the game. She screams in celebration, throwing a fist towards her player’s box with victory only game away.
06:45 PM BST
Raducanu 6-3, 4-2 Xu*
With the sun almost out of sight and the court almost entirely now in shadow, Xu loses four points in quick succession, Raducanu sealing the game with a 74mph forehand down the line struck at 74mph, much too quick for her opponent even to contemplate reaching.
06:41 PM BST
Raducanu* 6-3, 3-2 Xu
Raducanu races into a 30-0 lead only for Xu to capitalise on a rare, weak first serve, hitting her return long and hard. Picking the ball up around her ankles, Raducanu can only hit it back to the net.
Xu, running across court, then picks up a backhand nicely to claim another break point. Raducanu responds with increased aggression, following up a heavy serve to the net and dispatching a volley with little difficulty.
A moment later, she saves another break point following a brief, baseline exchange, only for Xu to hit back, yet again, hitting a forehand high and hard across court, well out of Raducanu’s reach.
Xu, her confidence clearly improving, then converts the break point to wipe out Raducanu’s advantage.
06:35 PM BST
Raducanu 6-3, 3-1 Xu*
Raducanu, who did not actually play particularly badly in the last game, wins two of the first three points with a solid pair of returns. Seeking to reassert her dominance, she dominates two subsequent points to break back.
At which point, it might be worth pointing out another example of Xu’s unusual dedication: the 17-year-old recently sat a biology A-level paper in tennis kit so that she could make her match at the Nottingham Open in good time.
06:30 PM BST
Raducanu* 6-3, 2-1 Xu
Raducanu hits three successive aces, making it 19 points won from just as many first serves. She almost produces a fourth, but sends her serve narrowly long, responding with a smile as if amused by her courage.
Xu, apparently unruffled, digs in to win the next three points, reaching deuce for the first time when facing serve. She then sets up the most unlikely break point with a forehand down the line.
She then moves Raducanu around the court before claiming her first break, before celebrating by urging the crowd to get even more involved. Great stuff from Xu.
06:23 PM BST
Raducanu 6-3, 2-0 Xu*
Xu hits a second serve short and slow, inviting Raducanu into the court, where she hits a backhand well beyond Xu’s reach. Xu then twice clips the net with her serve and then concedes a double fault –
With Xu in danger of letting the match slip away from her entirely, she then loses her balance approaching the net, giving up three break points. She saves the first two of them, the second with a service winner, and reaches deuce when Raducanu pulls a cross-court backhand wide.
Quite impressively, she then backs up a forehand and wins the point with a smash from the net, prompting Raducanu to mutter frustrations apparently in the direction of her players’ box.
Unfortunately for Xu, she follows that with drop shot into the net, Raducanu having forced the mistake with an 80mph return.
Back at deuce, wins a point with an easy smash only for Xu to save her fourth break point with an ace. Raducanu, however, responds with two formidable forehands, the first down the line, the next cross-court and both beyond Xu’s reach. This time, she converts the break point.
06:13 PM BST
Raducanu* 6-3, 1-0 Xu
Raducanu backs up her first serve with aplomb, dispatching Xu’s weak, attempted lob, before then hitting a service winner to go 30-0 ahead. Xu hits her next return long and the following one into the net, handing another cheap service game to her opponent.
06:07 PM BST
Raducanu 6-3 Xu*
Xu hits a reasonably powerful serve and dominates the subsequent rally to edge ahead. Raducanu hits back with two points but then Xu, showing no signs of the pressure of the occasion, restores parity with an ace.
Raducanu, however, keeps up the pressure with the final two points to take the set 6-3. In truth, she looks a class apart from her opponent, with Xu battling to hold serve and, with one, brief exception, showing no indication that she might break Raducanu’s.
06:03 PM BST
Raducanu* 5-3 Xu
Trailing 15-0, Raducanu follows a heavy serve to the net only for Xu to reply with a wayward backhand.
Xu fails to return an equally strong serve but then capitalises on a weak, looped second-serve, bringing the scores to 30-all – Xu’s best performance against the Raducanu serve so far.
Raducanu’s shouted celebration after the next point signals its importance, however. She follows it up with a service winner.
05:58 PM BST
Raducanu 4-3 Xu*
The best service game yet from Xu, who races to 40-0 ahead with an ace and then serves out the game with a winner.
The teenager, remember, who made the US Open juniors semi-finals last year as well as the Wimbledon final, is scheduled to compete in this year’s juniors at SW19, too.
05:56 PM BST
Raducanu* 4-2 Xu
Xu is showing little sign of making an impression on the Raducanu serve.
Her first return ends up between the tramlines and the second lands in the net. She at least is able to spark a rally on the third point but Raducanu prevails in it, too, with Xu sending a sliced backhand into the net.
Xu, finally, then opens her shoulders and lets rip with a forehand that Raducanu, running cross-court, can only flap her racquet at. A mishit drop-shot, however, hands Raducanu the game.
05:52 PM BST
Raducanu 3-2 Xu*
Raducanu, playing with impressive aggression, finds the tramlines with her heavy, forehand return. However, she then hits a forehand a little limply into the net and mishits a backhand from the baseline.
Two more strong serves keep Xu in the match. Incidentally, as if to annoy anyone already reflecting on what they were doing aged 17, Xu is also overachieving away from tennis, having completed her GCSEs a year early and her Maths A-level two years early.
05:47 PM BST
Raducanu* 3-1 Xu
Xu breaks out in a smile after completely mistiming a return, handing Raducanu an underserved ace. Facing game point, she slips on the floor, drawing a gasp of concern from the crowd, but is soon back on her feet. A solid service game from Raducanu.
05:44 PM BST
Raducanu 2-1 Xu*
Raducanu punishes a relatively weak second serve from Xu with a two-handed backhand to the far corner of the court, which Xu is unable to reach with any purchase.
Xu responds with a better serve, which Raducanu can only hit into the sky, having connected with the frame of her racquet.
Xu then wins the best rally of the match so far, having reached an attempted lob from Raducanu with a smart backhand, her arm extended to full reach.
Xu, however, then concedes two consecutive points, the second with an overhit, sliced backhand, claiming break point. Xu, impressively, hits a serve long and hard, helping her to reach parity.
She then profits from a rush to the net, with Raducanu hitting to the net when she tried to cut off the angle. Raducanu, however, returns to deuce after capitalising on a weak serve – she is giving Xu no chance to settle.
Unperturbed, Xu battles back with another net-approach, her low, backhand slice proving too good for Raducanu. She then serves out the set, impressively, to avoid slipping two breaks behind. Raising a fist to her player’s box, Xu has appeared to have shed a few of those very early nerves
05:34 PM BST
Raducanu* 2-0 Xu
With her serve touching 100mph, Raducanu hits a service winner and then an ace to go 30-0 ahead.
Xu at least manages to reach the next serve, but her return is sent short and Radacanu dispatches the ball to the corner.
Another service winner from Raducanu wraps up the game to love.
05:32 PM BST
Raducanu 1-0 Xu*
Xu is the first to serve and loses the first two points, the second with a double fault, hinting at nerves.
With the pairs briefly trading shots from the baseline, the teenager then hits a forehand long, before finally scoring a point when Raducanu sends a return to the net.
Raducanu then prevails after another baseline rally, celebrating the game-win with a yelp and a fist pump.
05:25 PM BST
Back injury still causing problems
Raducanu and Xu have arrived to the court, moments after the BBC broadcast a brief interview they grabbed with the former. British fans might have been slightly disappointed to hear her expand on the continuing problems with her back issue.
Reiterating that she has few ambitions for this year’s event because of the injury, she said: “I still feel it. It’s something I’ve learnt I need to deal with it. It comes in phases.
“Playing on grass, with the ball bouncing, I have to get into lower positions, so that is something I will need to deal with.”
05:15 PM BST
British No 1 seeking fresh start at SW19
This year’s tournament is only the fourth occasion in which Raducanu, the British No 1, has contested Wimbledon. Her record is moderately impressive, with two fourth-round defeats and a second-round loss since that victory at Flushing Meadows, along with one injury-enforced absence.
For all that the US Open triumph was an extraordinary achievement – she was the first qualifier to win a slam title in the Open era –– it set a standard that Raducanu, perhaps inevitably, has found impossible to maintain. Hence, as The Telegraph’s Sonia Twigg wrote last week, the Briton goes into Wimbledon hoping to draw a line under the feat and stick to lowered, but realistic, expectations of herself.
“Once you’ve reached the top of winning a grand slam and every result you have, you’re like, ‘Well, it’s not the same level as that’,” she said in the build-up to the tournament. “So it’s difficult to get my own head around and bring my expectations of myself a bit down, because I’m like, ‘Well, I’ve achieved that. Why can’t I achieve this?’ That’s the hardest internal debate that I have in my mind.”
05:05 PM BST
Raducanu’s game much improved
Raducanu, having struggled with a back problem this year, has insisted that she has few expectations of herself at this year’s Wimbledon. Simon Briggs, however, The Telegraph’s tennis correspondent, is hopeful that fans will see the fruits of the Briton’s impressive remodelling of her game. Her recently developed weapons include a wicked forehand down the line, a running backhand and an improved second-serve return. Read Simon’s full examination of Raducanu’s work on her technique here.
04:59 PM BST
Fearnley defeat clears path on Court No1
Fearnley has lost the third set on Court No1, handing Fonseca victory and clearing the way for Raducanu to play on Court No 1. She is expected on court at 5.20pm BST.
04:55 PM BST
Alcaraz is ‘just a good friend’
Raducanu, having courted huge attention since her breakthrough US Open win in 2021, has been the subject of rumours over the past week regarding the nature of her relationship with Wimbledon men’s champion Carlos Alcaraz.
The speculation started after the pair revealed they would partner one another in the mixed doubles at this year’s US Open. The gossip cranked up a notch when Raducanu was then seen cheering on Alcaraz at Queen’s Club.
The pair have been friends since their junior days and their bond, it is said, strengthened when Alcaraz also had his breakthrough moment at the 2021 US Open with victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas, then the world No 3.
Asked about their relationship in the build-up to Wimbledon, however, Raducanu, with a smile, simply said: “We’re just good friends.”
04:45 PM BST
Teenager Xu is a ‘really good player’
Mimi Xu promises to provide tricky opposition for Raducanu, having reached the final of junior Wimbledon last year. Raducanu has practised with the 17-year-old from Wales and has an idea what to expect.
“It’s a very dangerous match, very difficult,” Raducanu said. “Mimi is a really, really good player. I practised with her a few times. A lot of weapons. Also moves really well. It’s going to be a really different match.”
Raducanu has even conversed with Xu’s mother in Mandarin, taking the opportunity to exercise her language skills, the former’s own mother also hailing from China. The pair were also colleagues on Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup squad, with whom Xu travelled as a hitting partner.
“For her it’s one, where there’s nothing to lose,” Raducanu said. “I remember when I had my first Wimbledon here and I was 18. It’s a great feeling. You just feel, like, completely fearless. So, it’s going to be a challenge, but one that I’m looking forward to and I’m ready for.”
04:39 PM BST
Fans await golden girl
Emma Raducanu should be on court shortly, with Britain’s Jacob Fearnley battling to avoid defeat against the Brazilian Joao Fonseca on Court No1. Fearnley is two sets down, leading 6-5 in the third, having just ground out a game-win to extend the match a little further.
04:22 PM BST
Raducanu out to enjoy herself
Emma Raducanu is going to try and enjoy herself when she gets her Wimbledon campaign under way against Mimi Xu this afternoon.
The Briton faces her compatriot with the spotlight focused on her as much as ever – she remains the most famous British female athlete. But she’s determined not to let that get in the way of her having some fun.
“I want to embody just having a good time and joy,” she said last week. “I’ve recently realised that what we do, it’s for such a short amount of time and it will go before we know it.
“I was actually listening to Ana Ivanovic say the same thing, she said she wished she had enjoyed it more. I don’t want to have any regrets to look back on. I want to bring joy to what I do and enjoy this time, because it’s going to go by really fast.”
Things have been looking up this year for the British No 1. She has reached two WTA quarter-finals and returned to the world’s top 40. But she does not “expect much” this tournament after a difficult build-up that saw her lose to teenager Maya Joint in the second round at Eastbourne last week.
Speaking after that defeat, she said: “Realistically, the turnaround [to Wimbledon] is pretty soon – it’s only four days away really that Wimbledon starts.
“I think I’m just going to start with [a day off] tomorrow and then hopefully I can get on the court on Friday.”
Raducanu has been hampered by a back issue since the start of the clay-court season and last week said: “I still have a few days before Wimbledon. I’m looking forward to recovering, and hopefully it settles.
“I think it could be a blessing in disguise having some rest right now. I’m looking forward to heading back and then getting on the grass.”
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