Katie Swan, Jacob Fearnley and Arthur Fery ensured there will be British representation in the Wimbledon singles second round – but another three home players fell to first-round defeats.
Ten Britons lost on the opening day of their home Grand Slam – the most at SW19 since daily records began in 2000.
Further defeats for Katie Boulter, Jack Pinnington Jones and debutant Harry Wendelken on Tuesday took the total number of first-round losses for home players to 13, equalling last year’s total.
But Swan, who considered retiring from tennis in 2024 because of a persistent back injury, avoided the same fate in her first Grand Slam appearance for three years as she became the first British player to progress this year with a 6-4 6-4 victory over Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu.
The 27-year-old threw herself to the ground as she celebrated the win – her first in the main draw of a major since she beat the same opponent at Wimbledon in 2018.
Fery battled back from a set down to secure an impressive victory over Bosnian Damir Dzumhur, losing just five of the final 23 games in completing a 3-6 6-2 6-2 6-1 win.
Fearnley appeared set to become the latest British player to exit when he trailed American Alex Michelsen by two sets, but the world number 159 produced a superb comeback to prevail 3-6 4-6 6-2 6-3 6-2 after three and a half hours.
In an abysmal opening day for home hopes, Cameron Norrie, the highest-ranked Briton, was among 10 British players who quickly toppled out of the tournament.
There was further disappointment when Jack Draper announced his withdrawal 24 hours before his opening match because of injury.
That followed Emma Raducanu’s withdrawal on the eve of the Championships with a stress fracture in her right leg.
But Swan offered a glimmer of hope for British interest with a clinical serving performance on Court 16 before further successes for Fery and Fearnley.
Swan, who won 88% of her first-serve points, did not face a break point until she was serving for the match – but she held her nerve to seal a hard-fought win on her fifth match point.
Her reward is a second-round meeting with either 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys or American qualifier Kayla Day.