Emma Raducanu cherished her Centre Court debut as she put her troubled Wimbledon build-up behind her with a first-round victory over Alison Van Uytvanck.
The 10th seed's participation in the tournament was in doubt until the weekend because of a side strain suffered at the WTA Tour event in Nottingham three weeks ago.
Coupled with the huge attention on the US Open champion's homecoming and a tricky opponent, this was a major test, but Raducanu passed it impressively by claiming a 6-4 6-4 victory.
She jumped and yelled in delight when her final volley found the middle of the court and Raducanu was keen to stress afterwards that, while the external expectations on her shoulders extend far beyond first-round victories, this was very much an achievement to savour.
Raducanu said: 'It wasn't relief, it was just happiness. To play on Centre Court and get a win first time, it's amazing. Now every time I go back, I'm just going to have a great first experience. That always helps.
'I definitely took it in. I looked at the crowd, just saw everyone. The noise was just amazing to hear from the word go. When the crowd filled out a little bit as the match went on, even more so in the tricky moments. I think they really pulled me through some tough ones.
'It was a tricky match because Alison is a great opponent. She hits the ball really low and flat, and it definitely suits this surface. I knew that going in I was going to have to play well. I'm pleased to have come through the tough moments.
While the 19-year-old had given an upbeat assessment of her fitness and mindset at her press conference on Saturday, the stresses of a match, particularly such a high-profile one, are inevitably different to practice.
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