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Esther Adeshina and Heather Watson recorded victories in the first round of Wimbledon’s qualifying tournament.
Adeshina moved within two wins of reaching Wimbledon’s women’s singles main draw after producing the biggest win of her career to defeat Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 in nearly a two-hour battle in the sun-baked Roehampton.
The 24-year-old swept aside Japan’s former top-50 player in the first set, but her opponents experienced showed in the second to level the scores and take it into a third and deciding set in the first round of qualifying.
Adeshina found herself 4-2 down in the third but fought back and broke Uchijima’s serve in the penultimate game, meaning the Brit had to serve out the match, and after saving three break points in that game, she held on to secure a ‘dream’ victory and a place in the second round of qualifiers.
“That was unbelievable,” Adeshina said, speaking after the game. “I was just thinking one point at a time. I was looking over to my team a lot, just trying to breathe and enjoy the moment.
“It means a lot to me, being British and playing at home. I have been coming to watch Wimbledon since I was young – it’s a dream.”
She will face France’s Harmony Tan in the next round, who famously beat Serena Williams at Wimbledon in 2022 to reach the fourth round of the main draw.
Elsewhere in Wimbledon qualifying, 34-year-old Heather Watson began her qualifying tournament in Roehampton with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Egypt’s Mayar Sherif.
Unfortunately, there were first-round losses for Brits Daniella Britton, with the 15-year-old narrowly edged out in three sets, Amelia Rajecki, Yuriko Miyazaki, Katy Dunne and Ella McDonald.
