Teenager Emma Raducanu reaches the third round on her Wimbledon debut, while British No 2 Cam Norrie made it three British men through to the third round for the first time this century to set up a clash with Roger Federer
Friday 2 July 2021 11:01, UK
British teenager Emma Raducanu clinched the biggest win of her young career by beating Marketa Vondrousova to march on to the third round at Wimbledon.
The 18-year-old, who sat her A-Levels just two months ago, overcame her Czech opponent 6-2 6-4 having been a late wild card entry into the tournament.
It follows on from her first-round win against Vitalia Diatchenko and means she is now Britain's last woman standing in the singles at the All England Club. The world No 338 will now face Sorana Cirstea after the Romanian beat 12th seed Victoria Azarenka 7-6 3-6 6-4.
Raducanu had showcased her impressive serve early on as she claimed the first set 6-2, but found herself three love down in the second amid a fightback from the world No 42 Vondrousova, who was runner-up at the 2019 French Open.
The Grand Slam debutante held her nerve and clawed her way back to three games apiece, eventually securing a crucial break courtesy of a double fault to earn a 5-4 advantage before serving out for a landmark victory in one hour and 12 minutes.
In sealing a place in the next round Raducana will earn £115,000, almost quadruple her career earnings heading into the match having only made her debut on the WTA Tour in June.
Cam Norrie set another first in his outstanding season by also reaching the third round of Wimbledon with a dominant victory over Australian wild card Alex Bolt.
The British No 2 made a nervous start and lost the first three games but responded with a run of 11 in a row and eventually eased to a 6-3 6-1 6-2 victory on Court One.
Norrie, who was beaten by Rafael Nadal in the third round of both the Australian and French Opens this year, next faces eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer, who defeated Frenchman Richard Gasquet.
Norrie was delighted with his performance, and said: "If there's a decent time to play Roger, it's probably now but he still can play."
Norrie joins Andy Murray and Dan Evans in the last 32, meaning three British men have reached this stage at Wimbledon for the first time this century.
The 25-year-old has been phenomenally consistent at a very high level in 2021, reaching three ATP Tour finals, most recently on grass at Queen's Club, where he was beaten in three sets by Matteo Berrettini.
This was his 31st win of the year, putting him behind only Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev on the men's tour, while, based on this year's results alone, he is close to the top 10.
His ranking is actually at a career-high of 34, enough to earn him a seeding at a Grand Slam for the first time, and he has certainly lived up to his billing.
He would have expected to beat 28-year-old Bolt, who has never made the top 100, but the Australian does know his way around a grass court and earned a wild card by winning one of the warm-up events in Nottingham.
Bolt made an impressive start, breaking Norrie with a fine pass and moving into a 3-0 lead. But from there it was one-way traffic, with the British player winning 18 of the next 21 games.
He moved 5-0 ahead in the second with his relentless hitting, athleticism and mental approach simply too much for Bolt.
Bolt avoided a bagel but there was no way back and Norrie wrapped up victory in just an hour and 34 minutes.
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