Emma Raducanu showed no signs of the injury problems that blighted her Wimbledon build-up as the teenager defeated Alison van Uytvanck in straight sets.
The reigning US Open champion suffered a side strain at the WTA Tour event in Nottingham three weeks ago that put her participation at the grass-court Grand Slam in doubt.
But Raducanu, making her debut on the famous Centre Court at SW19, secured a 6-4, 6-4 victory against her Belgian opponent.
Van Uytvanck is ranked 46th in the world but has a liking for grass having won 12 of her 14 matches on the surface this year, including two second-tier titles.
"I know Alison is a tricky opponent, she has had some great results on grass and I played her last summer and it's really tricky to neutralise that hard serve, she hits the ball really hard," Raducanu said.
"It's an incredibly special feeling to be back at Wimbledon. I felt the support the minute I walked out and walking around the grounds.
"I want to say thank you to everyone who has been here supporting, through the tough times as well, it's all worth it to play on Centre Court and come through with a win.
"I'm extremely pleased to have come through that match and I'm looking forward to coming out and hopefully playing in front of you guys again.
"I've been feeling it [the support] since stepping onto the practice courts, I feel people behind me saying 'Emma, you've got this!' and it makes me think 'yes, I've got this!' It's amazing to walk on these grounds and courts so I'm just so happy to stay another day."
A year ago, Raducanu reached the fourth round as an unknown wild card before going on to win the US Open in one of the most remarkable Grand Slam performances in tennis history.
The teenager did not drop a set in New York, becoming the first British female player to win a Grand Slam singles crown since Virginia Wade at Wimbledon in 1977. But she has not won more than two matches at a tournament since.
She will take on France's Caroline Garcia for a place in the last 32.
No 2 seed Anett Kontaveit of Estonia sailed into the next round with a 7-5, 6-1 victory over the American Bernarda Pera.
Alison Riske became the first player to reach the second round when the 28th-seeded American beat Ylena In-Albon of Switzerland 6-2, 6-4 on Court 10. She will now face Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Quick%20facts
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Read more about the coronavirus
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.6-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 285bhp
Torque: 353Nm
Price: TBA
On sale: Q2, 2020
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
