Emma Raducanu given huge wake-up call in shaky Wimbledon first-round win

But the No 22 seed withdrew from the tournament just hours before she was set to take to the court against Raducanu.

Zarazua, who lost in the final qualifying round to Mccartney Kessler last week, was bumped up to face Raducanu.

The change in opponent would have undoubtedly been seen as a huge boost to Raducanu with an opportunity to ease her way into the tournament.

Zarazua, 29, had never played in the main draw of Wimbledon before and her very first match was going to be on Centre Court against arguably Britain's most popular tennis star currently.

With the kind of form Raducanu has shown in recent weeks on grass, she would have expected to kick on from the very first match.

But she was far from comfortable against an opponent that was proving tricky to get past.

The Mexican tennis star had Raducanu running all over the court with some delicate drop shots and perfectly-placed lobs.

Raducanu took the early break in the match, but Zarazua deservedly levelled the set as the British tennis star's frustrations got the better of her.

There was nothing separating them with a tiebreak needed to settle the first set and that's where Raducanu finally stepped up another level.

Winning the first point on Zarazua's serve drew huge cheers from the crowd and Raducanu grew in confidence from there before wrapping up the tiebreak to take a 1-0 lead.

She would have expected to kick on from there but it was another shaky start to the second with Zarazua getting two break opportunities in the third game.

Raducanu showed her grit to dig in and hold both before serving out for the game.

That moment appeared to kick Raducanu into gear as she went on to break Zarazua's serve in the sixth game before consolidating the break and moving to within one game of securing the win.

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The 21-year-old worked her first match-point opportunity on Zarazua's serve, but she was unable to convert on that occasion.

Mistakes were costing Raducanu the chance to wrap up the match, but Zarazua was also making several unforced errors as the set became scrappy.

But Raducanu finally found an answer for Zarazua's dangerous drop shots when it mattered most with the shot of the match to set up three match points.

She only needed the one as Zarazua's backhand landed long with Raducanu breathing a huge sigh of relief as the pair shook hands.