Mimi Xu of Swansea, 18, suffered a first-round singles defeat on Wimbledon's opening day but expressed pride after pushing former world number 8 Daria Kasatkina to three sets. Xu, ranked 326th, lost 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 to the Australian 65th-ranked Kasatkina, a former French Open semi-finalist.
Xu lost the first set 6-2 but rebounded impressively to win the second set 6-3 before Kasatkina raised her level in the decider, taking it 6-2.
Xu reflects on experience and growth
"I'm proud of myself on how I was able to forget about the first set, forget about that disappointment and refocus and go again," said the Swansea teenager. "Her experience definitely showed in the tighter moments, but I fought really well and I'm able to take my experiences from last year and this year into hopefully following years."
Xu said she enjoyed the experience more than her first-round match against Emma Raducanu in 2025. "I came back a lot more experienced, I had different emotions going into the match and I was a lot more excited and less nervous," she said. "But I think the crowd is always amazing and it's just an amazing feeling being back."
Doubles participation ahead
Xu is also scheduled to compete in the women's doubles main draw later this week alongside fellow Brit Alicia Dudeney. They face 2023 French Open doubles champions Hsieh Su-Wei and Wang Xinyu. "We get on really well, it's our third tournament together, we're going to enjoy it and embrace every single moment," said Xu. "We've got two very experienced and good doubles players, it'll be tough, but I think we're ready just to go out and enjoy the moment."
Cameron Norrie suffers shock exit
British number one Cameron Norrie, a former Wimbledon semi-finalist, was a shock first-round casualty. He lost in a final-set tie-break to American qualifier Michael Zheng after a four-hour marathon on Court Two, 6-7 6-2 6-7 6-3 7-6. Norrie, on a five-match losing streak and without a win on grass in 2026, managed only one break of serve in the entire match. Zheng, ranked 144th, sealed victory on his first of five match points. "It was an unbelievable atmosphere and an honour to be part of a match like this," said the 22-year-old Zheng.
Defending champion Jannik Sinner battles through
Defending champion Jannik Sinner began his title defence with a five-set victory over Miomir Kecmanovic, 4-6 6-3 6-7 6-2 6-3. Sinner, who had not played since a shock second-round loss at the French Open, battled on despite a painful slip in set three that left blood visible through his right trainer. The win ended his streak of eight losses in his previous nine five-set matches. "I was a little tight at the beginning," said Sinner. "I didn't play my very best but I tried to get into it and it was my first official match on grass."
