Swansea rookie Xu to face Radacanu in Wimbledon ladies first round

Welsh teenage wildcard Mimi Xu has been drawn against British number one Emma Radacanu in an eye-catching all-British first-round match at Wimbledon.

Published: 27th June 2025

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NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - JUNE 17: Mimi Xu of Great Britain plays a backhand against Katie Volynets of United States during the Women's Singles Third Round match on day 4 of the Lexus Nottingham Open at the Lexus Nottingham Tennis Centre on June 17, 2025 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images for LTA)

If 17-year-old Xu, can beat Radacanu she will face either 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova or 32nd seed McCartney Kessler in the second round.

Teenager Xu, ranked 302nd in the world left the national academy last year and now works with Nigel Sears – who coached Raducanu during her Wimbledon fourth-round run in 2021.

Xu earned her career-best win by shocking American top seed Alycia Parks – the world number 52 – on her way to the Birmingham quarter-finals earlier this month.

Described as “super intelligent” by British captain Anne Keothavong, Xu has taken A-Levels early in the past two summers, sitting biology exams between her matches in Birmingham and Nottingham this year.

Raducanu, ranked 38th in the world, this year is not seeded at the championships.

The grass-court Grand Slam begins at the All England Club on Monday.

[Lead image: Nathan Stirk – Getty Images]