Wimbledon: Emma Raducanu starts campaign with a win

Britain`s Emma Raducanu returns the ball to Belgium`s Alison van Uytvanck during their women`s singles tennis match on the first day of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. Pic/AFP

Emma Raducanu started her Wimbledon campaign on a bright note by beating Belgian Alison van Uytvanck in back to back sets to progress to the next round.

Raducanu who entered the top 10 on Monday saw off the unseeded van Uytvanck who played an impressive match 6-4 6-4.

The British tennis star came into the tournament with very little playing time as she was forced to to retire with a rib injury from the WTA 250 event in Nottingham earlier this month.

In contrast, van Uytvanck came into the match boasting of a 12-2 record on grass surfaces this season.

The in-form van Uytvanck made sure to give Emma a tough fight and even led the second set 3-1. But unfortunately for the Belgian, Raducanu was at her best and ended the contest in 1 hour and 41 minutes.

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It's an incredibly special feeling to be back," she was quoted as saying in a report on the official website.

"I felt the support the minute I walked out. I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me through the last year including the tough times.

"It's all worth it to come through with a win. I know Alison's an extremely tricky opponent. On grass where the ball stays so low it's tricky to neutralise her great serve - she hits the ball really hard. I'm extremely pleased and looking forward to coming out in front of you guys again."

(With inputs from IANS)