Britain’s Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter continued their Wimbledon preparations with assured first-round victories in Eastbourne.
Raducanu, playing the event for the first time said on Monday she had “rekindled” her love of tennis.
And that was evident as she claimed an emphatic second-set bagel to wrap up a 6-4 6-0 win over former US Open champion Sloane Stephens.
That was followed by a 6-1 7-6 (10-8) victory for British number one Boulter against Croatia’s Petra Martic.
“I’m very pleased I managed to figure out the situations in the first set – it was difficult and I don’t think I was necessarily playing my best tennis,” Raducanu told BBC TV.
“It’s just about accepting that and not letting it ruin the entire match.”
Raducanu will face world number five Jessica Pegula, who is fresh from winning the Berlin Open title on Sunday, in the second round, while Boulter faces former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.
Raducanu has been criticised in recent weeks for opting to skip the French Open and deciding not to play for Great Britain at this summer’s Olympics in Paris.
The former British number one said she was prioritising the home grass-court season and building up to full fitness after an injury-plagued 2023.
It is a move that seems, so far, to be paying off for Raducanu, who reached the semi-finals of the Nottingham Open earlier this month.
Neither player could take control in the opening stages, with the pair exchanging breaks before Raducanu struck the decisive blow at 5-4 – much to the delight of the British crowd.
The 2021 US Open champion’s momentum grew from there, breaking Stephens’ serve at the first opportunity in the second set.
And there was no looking back for Raducanu as Stephens, the US Open champion in 2017, crumbled and won just one point on her opponent’s serve from then on.
There was a huge roar as Raducanu broke Stephens’ serve for the sixth and final time to triumph after one hour and 17 minutes.
‘More dramatic than I needed it to be’ – Boulter holds off Martic
Boulter retired early at the Birmingham Classic last week because of illness but there were no signs of fatigue from the 27-year-old in the opening set.
She raced through it in 27 minutes and looked like she would put the match to bed swiftly when she opened up a 3-0 lead in the second.
But Martic, the world number 74, mounted a surprising comeback, winning the next five games.
Boulter recovered in time to stop her opponent serving out the set before forcing a tie-break.
An edgy Boulter eventually came through at the second time of asking after saving two set points.
“That was a little stressful. It was a little more dramatic than I hoped it to be,” Boulter said.
“I’m very happy to be through that.”
Boulter successfully defended her Nottingham Open title earlier this month and will be seeded at Wimbledon for the first time.
She will face a tough task against Latvia’s Ostapenko in the next round.
