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Emma Raducanu kept her cool in the blazing sun, to cruise into the second round of Wimbledon. Raducanu won her 'Battle of Britain' with Mimi Xu, following a 6-3, 6-3 straight sets triumph on a baking Court One.

British No.1 Raducanu proved too strong for debutant Xu, despite some flashes of brilliance from the teenage tennis prodigy. And it was the perfect start to what Raducanu hopes will be a strong campaign at SW19, in the wake of some tough Grand Slam defeats this season.

It was back in 2021 when Raducanu won the US Open against the odds, to announce herself to the sporting world. But since that incredible triumph, her career has gone backwards.

From a fairytale to a nightmare, which has included a string of injuries, countless coaching changes and too many lucrative distractions off the court.

In the weeks building up to this tournament, the latest person to be handed the task of coaching Raducanu, Mark Petchey, told her she had been living her tennis career in reverse. But Wimbledon fortnight was the perfect chance for Raducanu to breathe new life into it.

And Raducanu, despite still being only 22 herself, had too much class and experience for Xu, who was just 13 when her opponent won in New York.

Ranked 318th in the world and making her Grand Slam debut, Xu looked a bag of nerves in the opening exchanges.

The 17-year-old from Swansea had been given a wildcard to compete, and admitted in the build-up she had nothing to lose. But in a flash she found herself broken in her first service game, following a double fault and some unforced errors.

Raducanu won eight of the first nine points, and Xu had no answer to the brilliant serving of her opponent.

Raducanu broke Xu again in the ninth game, to take the first set 6-3.

Raducanu had been serene. In fact, the only danger she looked to be in was when someone popped a champagne cork in her direction during the interval. It flew over her head and into the service box.

Raducanu broke Xu again to go 2-0 up in the second set, and was in complete control of the match. Xu rallied, saving some break points before breaking the Raducanu serve.

But Raducanu was not about to let the match slip, and sealed the win with another unreturnable serve.

She celebrated with a clenched fist to the crowd. More in relief than anything else. Next up for Raducanu is Marketa Vondrousova, the 2023 Wimbledon champion.

Raducanu said: "I'm super pleased to have come through that match.

"I can't say I was loving it. Mimi is a really dangerous player. She's so young and has some amazing weapons at her disposal.

"I am really happy to have come through that and I want to thank everyone for their support on both sides. It was a really nice atmosphere.

"I'm really happy with how I toughed it out in the really crucial games, and won the important points.

"And I'm glad people were having fun. I saw a champagne cork fly on to the court. Glad you guys are having a good time. Cheers to you.

"I love playing in this atmosphere. It's my favourite tournament by far. I'm just so happy to get another match here."

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