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4:42 p.m.
Raducanu 0-1 Van Uytvanck* (*denotes server)
Van Uytvanck won the toss and served first, moving to 15 loves with a serve-and-volley approach and doubled his lead when Raducanu framed a forehand from the center mark. A huge cheer greets Raducanu winning the next two points on his forehand, prompting errors from Van Uytvanck’s own forehand. Slow but good start, Raducanu’s aggression pays off as she climbs into Van Uytvanck’s second serve to string together a crosscourt winner. Break point well defended by the Belgian.
She earns a second break point when Van Uytvanck trails a forehand wide but she can’t nail a bunt by her feet to win the game and it becomes two again when she ejects him wide into the tram lines. Two steps forward, two steps back. AVU moves to the advantage and back to two, then fires an ace to move to the advantage again and digs deep to hold when Raducana cuts his forehand to get back into the net.
16:33
Raducanu and Van Uytvanck are on the pitch
Tracy Austin says she doesn’t envy Raducanu, has the weight of expectations on her shoulders and puts even more pressure on herself. Tim Henman says she loses games because she hasn’t had time to build her resilience and physique considering she’s only a year out of school. “It’s not his tennis, it’s his physique that causes him problems.” It takes time to do that and with her injuries and Covid she just couldn’t start this year.
16:24
John McEnroe will make his BBC Tournament debut
For the Raducanu game. right now he’s joking Sue Barker on her decision to retire after this year’s championship, saying he and Tim Henman have always said “if she goes, we go”. Farewell one, farewell all.
4:18 p.m.
Novak Djokovic is qualified for the second round
After beating Kwan Soon-woo 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. The roof opens and Emma Raducanu will be on the court in the next few minutes.
3:21 p.m.
Good afternoon
Welcome to coverage of the first women’s singles match of the 2022 Championships which will take place on center court. Emma Raducanu, the No. 10 seed, who is, if you hadn’t heard, the US Open champion, takes on Alison van Uytvanck, a hard-court specialist and world No. 46 from Belgium.
So far this season, Raducanu has suffered from blisters on his hands and feet, a leg injury, a side strain and a back problem, all of which have contributed to retirements and defeats. . There will of course be a huge outpouring of goodwill and affection for her at Wimbledon, where she is playing for the first time since dropping out of her fourth-round match last year, but also a lot of concern about her physical resistance. There will also be plenty of onlookers hoping that her struggles will confirm their self-image as a little boy in the Emperor’s new clothes, gloating in schadenfreude and overlooking the fact that she’s 19.
Van Uytvanck has already upset the odds, knocking out defending champion Garbine Muguruza, a win that inspired ‘The Kiss’. Making week two for the first time, she left after a fourth-round loss to Daria Kasatkina. Van Uytvanck had a rotten draw last year, coming up against Elina Svitolina in the first round, but she took the second set from the No. 3 seed and brought it closer. Raducanu certainly sees her as a serious threat: “She’s a real tricky opponent, especially on the grass courts. I think that surface suits him really well. She plays a fairly fast and rhythmic game. It will definitely take some getting used to, prepare for this right away. It will definitely be a tough game, but every game is at this level. I’m always ready to go.
As for Raducanu, she feels only positive vibrations from the practice. “This year, I feel such a special feeling walking through the park,” she said. “I really feel that people are behind me. Even from some of the people working on the tournament they say, ‘You get it’. Just to cheer me on. That’s pretty special in itself.
“I feel like last year I came straight out of my exams, I was fresh, ready to play. I feel the same excitement this year because I think Wimbledon gives me that in particular. . But I’m really looking forward to I’m just going to play like a kid who loves to play tennis. I’ve always dreamed of stepping out on center court. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and for which I I started playing tennis.
“I take any feeling as positive. I think people are going to be behind me and cheering me on. There’s nothing negative about it. They want you to succeed. I can’t wait to get out there and to live that and feel that.”
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