Emma Raducanu's opponent withdraws from Wimbledon just hours before match in last-minute change
Emma Raducanu will now face a lucky loser
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Emma Raducanu has been given a boost just hours before her first-round Wimbledon match after Ekaterina Alexandrova withdrew from the tournament with illness.
With Raducanu still working her way back up the rankings and entering the draw as a wildcard, she was at risk of playing a top seed.
And the draw put her up against Alexandrova, who is currently ranked No 22 in the world.
Alexandrova reached the fourth round of Wimbledon last year before losing to Aryna Sabalenka.
Emma Raducanu will now face a lucky loser
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Raducanu will now go up against lucky loser Renata Zarazua, who lost to Mccartney Kessler in the final round of qualifying last week.
The 26-year-old has only played in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament twice in her career.
This is the first time she's made it through to the main draw at Wimbledon and will face Raducanu in the second match on Centre Court.
Raducanu has shown good form since the start of the grasscourt season, which has seen her climb back up towards the top 100.
She pulled off the biggest win of her career last week against world No 5 Jessica Pegula - her first victory against a top-10 player.
The 21-year-old wasn't able to carry that form into her next match against Daria Kasatkina.
But Raducanu wasn't too disheartened at the loss as it gave her more time to recover and prepare for the start of Wimbledon.
“Losing today means I get a day off tomorrow and then get to train at Wimbledon,” she said.
Ekaterina Alexandrova withdrew due to illness
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“For me, that’s how I’m going to spin it right now.
“I think I put some good level out again [in Eastbourne].
“Just to be able to back up a week like Nottingham, I’m very happy.
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“I think the biggest win for me is I was able to play three matches back to back.
"It [the defeat] wasn’t to do with being in pain [even though] yesterday the match was close to three hours.
"Plus the warm-up before, I played almost four hours on court, and this morning I pulled up completely fine. I mean, I was surprised about it. That’s a big positive.”
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