“Come on Britain!” echoed through the sweltering 32C heat on No 1 Court as Emma Raducanu defeated Mimi Xu in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3. The all-British clash featured two players – attired similarly in matching outfits and golf visors – who captivated the home crowd.
While Raducanu has been a fan favourite since her fairytale 2021 US Open triumph, the grand slam debutant Xu, ranked No 300 in the world, has impressed in junior circuits and shown significant promise on the senior tour.
“It was an interesting dynamic today,” Raducanu said. “It is really awkward playing a Brit, especially someone younger. I think the crowd were great both ways and it was nice for [Xu] to receive that sort of welcome and support.”
The celebratory mood of two Britons facing off led to some fans popping a champagne bottle, with the cork landing on the court in front of the world No 40. “It was a first. Pretty entertaining, though. I am glad [the crowd] were having a good time. It kind of loosened me up a bit. But I couldn’t reach it [to have a sip].”
Despite the party atmosphere, reality came crashing down for Xu in her first tour meeting with Raducanu. The gulf in class was evident from the start. Raducanu’s powerful forehands down the line, blistering serves and astute court craft allowed her to seize control immediately. Xu’s opening service game began with a double fault, foreshadowing a series of errors that led to a break in the first game.
A stunning ace from the more experienced player left Xu rooted to the spot, followed by a backhand winner that secured the British No 1’s first service game to love, winning eight of the first nine points of the match.
For the 17-year-old, this match was a cascade of firsts. The Welsh player, who watched aged 13 as Raducanu won the US Open, understandably struggled early on, exhibiting weak serves and even slipping on court twice in the fourth game.
Despite an assured hold to get on the scoreboard, Xu’s attempts at tricky drop shots often backfired, allowing her opponent to establish a 4-2 lead. Raducanu secured another break before a strong service game from Xu that included a scorching 116mph serve. Nonetheless, she was consistently playing catchup, battling hard to hold her own serve but ultimately failing to break Raducanu, and conceded the first set 6-3.
The second set started as more of the same, with Raducanu asserting her authority. A backhand beyond Xu’s reach and a double fault contributed to the younger Briton facing three break points. Xu saved two, including one with a service winner, and clawed her way to deuce. A well-executed smash at the net even prompted a rare moment of frustration from Raducanu.
The momentum shifted back when Xu hit a drop shot into the net, forced by an 80mph return from Raducanu. Back at deuce, Xu saved a fourth break point with an ace, but Raducanu responded with two formidable forehands – one down the line, one crosscourt – beyond Xu’s reach, finally converting the break for a 2-0 lead.
Raducanu consolidated with three consecutive aces in her subsequent service game with pinpoint accuracy. But against the run of play, and from 40-0 down, Xu remarkably broke back. She forced deuce with a forehand winner, then capitalised on a long lob from Raducanu to snatch the game.
Raducanu broke straight back before racing to a 30-0 lead on her serve again, only for Xu to capitalise on a weak first serve. Xu’s backhand winner secured another break point before finishing the game on a high with a forehand high and hard across court, well out of her opponent’s reach.
Yet as much as Xu’s confidence grew in the second set, Raducanu never wavered, breaking back once again with a forehand down the line to make it 4-2 and conclude five breaks of serve in a row between the pair of them.
The British No 1 ultimately managed to fend off the late threats and recovered from 30-0 down in the final game to serve out the match.
Up next for Raducanu is Marketa Vondrousova, who won her first and only grand slam title at Wimbledon in 2023 and, more recently, was victorious on grass at the Berlin Openin late June, beating Madison Keys and the world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka en route. “Amazing grass player,” Raducanu said of the Czech. “I am going to need to play really well to get over the line.”
