Emma Raducanu to face young British wild card Mimi Xu in Wimbledon opener
- Gary Dalton
- Jun 27
- 1 min read
Updated: Jul 1
Emma Raducanu will take on young British wild card Mimi Xu in the opening round of Wimbledon.
Xu, 17, is one of three home teenage debutantes in the women’s draw, and she will get a first shot at British number one Raducanu.
The former US Open champion reached the fourth round last year but faces an uphill battle to do so again, with top seed Aryna Sabalenka and former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova both in her section.
It was a tough draw for the British players overall, with Katie Boulter – unseeded this year – taking on top-10 star Paula Badosa, while British number three Sonay Kartal faces 20th seed Jelena Ostapenko.
Sixteen-year-olds Hannah Klugman and Mika Stojsavljevic also drew seeds, with the former facing former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez and Stojsavljevic meeting Ashlyn Krueger.
The bottom quarter could throw up some big-hitting contests in the second week with Iga Swiatek potentially facing a fourth-round clash against former champion Elena Rybakina and a quarter-final with second seed Coco Gauff having dropped to eighth in the rankings.
Defending champion Barbora Krejcikova, meanwhile, will take on exciting Filipino teenager Alexandra Eala in the opening round, provided the Czech recovers from a leg injury in time.
