Tennis-Raducanu offers home cheer on day one at Wimbledon

Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 1, 2024 Britain's Emma Raducanu celebrates after winning her first round match against Mexico's Renata Zarazua REUTERS/Hannah Mckay

LONDON (Reuters) -Emma Raducanu snapped a dispiriting sequence of first-round defeats for British players at Grand Slams as the wildcard beat Mexico's Renata Zarazua 7-6(0) 6-3 on Centre Court on Monday.

The 21-year-old got an unexpected boost when Russian 22nd seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, her scheduled opponent, withdrew because of illness on the morning of the match with Zarazua, a loser in qualifying, taking her place.