Defiant Robson delays post-mortem into British failure

Laura Robson of Britain hits a return to Maria Kirilenko of Russia in their women's singles tennis match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, in London June 25, 2013. REUTERS/Toby Melville

LONDON (Reuters) - The annual post-mortem into the woeful state of British women's tennis was put on ice by Laura Robson's surprise passage into the second round at Wimbledon but that could not mask an appalling show by the home nation.

For the third time in a decade, British women were heading for a first-round washout at the All England Club until teenager Robson raised cheers around the country with a 6-3 6-4 win over Russian 10th seed Maria Kirilenko that left her a nervous wreck.