Emma Raducanu will take on world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the third round of Wimbledon after claiming an impressive victory over former champion Marketa Vondrousova.
It will be a daunting task for the British number one but she can take great encouragement from her performance here, with Vondrousova not just the 2023 winner but also a player in hot form after beating Sabalenka and Madison Keys to win the warm-up title in Berlin.
Raducanu had good memories from a second-round win against the same player here in her breakthrough run four years ago, and this proved just as comfortable, the 22-year-old easing to a 6-3 6-3 win.
"I think today I played really, really well," said Raducanu. "There were some points I have no idea how I turned around.
"I knew playing Marketa it was going to be an extremely difficult match. She's won this tournament and it’s a huge, huge achievement. I’m so happy with how I focused and put my game on the court.
"I’m just so happy I get to play another match here. (Sabalenka) is number one in the world, so dominant, has won literally everything. I’m just so happy how I performed. I guess there’s no pressure at all on me."
Sabalenka earlier restored order at Wimbledon by powering her way to a third-round showdown with Raducanu thanks to a thrilling straight-sets win over Marie Bouzkova.
The women's draw was blown wide open on Tuesday when three of the top five players – French Open champion Coco Gauff, world number three Jessica Pegula and Olympic gold medallist Zheng Qinwen – crashed out in a string of first-round shocks.
But top seed Sabalenka’s quest for a maiden SW19 title remains on track following a 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 victory over Czech world number 48 Bouzkova in a big-hitting battle on Centre Court.
Belarusian Sabalenka was well aware of the dangers of former Wimbledon quarter-finalist Bouzkova, having been beaten by her at last year’s Washington Open ahead of her triumph at Flushing Meadows.
She was made to work hard in a captivating first-set arm wrestle which concluded with a tie-break after the pair traded back-to-back breaks of serve in games 11 and 12.
The 27-year-old, who missed last year’s tournament because of a shoulder injury after being absent in 2022 due to the ban on Russian and Belarusian players, fired 41 winners across the contest but was also guilty of some wild shots.
A crucial break in game five of set two paved the way for progression in an hour and 35 minutes as Sabalenka passed a stern examination of her championship credentials.
"Honestly, it’s very sad to see so many top players lose in the first round but you better focus on yourself and stay away from the results," she said in her on-court interview.
"Of course, you’re going to know the overall picture but it’s better just to take it one step at a time. I hope it is no upsets anymore in this tournament – if you know what I mean! I’m really happy to be through this difficult round."
Madison Keys avoided joining high-profile compatriots Gauff and Pegula in booking an early flight home to America.
The Australian Open champion, seeded sixth, made relatively light work of Serbian world number 37 Olga Danilovic, progressing 6-4 6-2.
But last year's finalist Jasmine Paolini did not make it through after the Italian fourth seed was beaten by Russian Kamilla Rakhimova, who came from a set down to win 4-6 6-4 6-4 and set up a third-round clash with Czech 30th seed Linda Noskova.
Paolini became the fourth top-five seed to exit the women's draw after Gauff, Pegula and Zheng.
Ukrainian 14th seed Elina Svitolina had a comfortable 6-2 6-4 win over Belarusian qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich and will meet Belgian Elise Mertens in the third round.
Britain's Sonay Kartal sealed a comfortable 6-2 6-2 victory over Bulgarian Viktoriya Tomova.
