Emma Raducanu Faces British Wildcard Mimi Xu at Wimbledon First Round

Emma Raducanu, British No. 1 and former US Open champion, will open her Wimbledon campaign against 17-year-old British wild card Mimi Xu, who is making her main draw debut at the tournament. Raducanu faces a challenging draw, potentially meeting top seed Aryna Sabalenka in the third round and 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova in the second round. The 22-year-old acknowledged a difficult year, including a stalking ordeal, and emphasized the need to focus ahead of Wimbledon after an early exit at the Eastbourne Open. Other British players face tough first-round matches, with Katie Boulter drawn against ninth seed Paula Badosa and 16-year-old Hannah Klugman set to face former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez. British men’s No. 1 Jack Draper, seeded fourth, will play Argentina’s Sebastian Baez but has yet to advance past the second round in previous appearances. Several other British wild cards, including Johannus Monday and an all-British encounter between Dan Evans and Jay Clarke, hope to leverage home support for potential upsets.