Charles Broom and Johannus Monday were among the Brits that starred on Day One of Wimbledon Qualifying, with four Brits progressing to the second round.
Broom and Monday both came through three set battles to progress, with Billy Harris and Toby Samuel also victorious in Roehampton.
Monday battled past 2022 Junior Wimbledon champion Mili Poljicak in three sets to set up a second round meeting against fifth seed Radu Albot.
The Brit was a set down against the Croatian, but fought back brilliantly to seal a 3-6 7-6(4) 6-3 victory on what is also his Wimbledon debut.
“It wasn’t an easy match at all, but no match at this level is going to be easy. It was a good match. He took his chances in the first set while I didn’t take my chances,” commented Monday.
“But then I was just very tough in my last two sets I think. I just upped a gear, and I think I deserved to come away with the win.”
Broom saw off Alessandro Giannessi 6-4 6-7(4) 6-3 in a high-quality contest on the new Stadium Court to progress.
“I’m feeling really good. I’ve played a lot of matches on grass now and feel really comfortable out there. I love playing in front of the crowd,” said Broom, who next plays Dennis Novak.
Elsewhere, Harris also prevailed in a dramatic three-set contest versus Alexander Ritschard to set up a second round meeting against 25th seed Hugo Gaston.
After losing a tight opening set, Harris lost a 5-0 lead in the second set, but bounced back in the tiebreak and controlled the decider to prevail 5-7 7-6(5) 6-2.
He commented: “At 5-0 up in the second I thought I had it but I lost a bit of concentration, almost lost the whole match, so I’m very happy to hang onto that second set and in the third set I felt like I started hitting through the ball, and was seeing the ball a lot better.”
Samuel, who had received a wildcard into the draw, defeated Swiss Antoine Bellier 6-4 7-6(4) to reach the second round, where he will face Japan’s Sho Shimabukuro.
“It’s my first ever Wimbledon, playing against a great player. I think I went out there with no pressure, just played my game and played loose, and in the end I came out on top – which is amazing,” added Samuel.
“You can’t play your best if you’re not enjoying it. That’s why I started playing and I’m going to keep enjoying it throughout my career, as that helps me play my best.”
Meanwhile, Stuart Parker impressed but was ultimately beaten 4-6 6-3 6-1 by seventh seed James Duckworth, also on Stadium Court.
Dan Cox was also beaten in three sets, falling 2-6 7-6(2) 7-5 to Federico Gaio in a hard-fought contest between the two.
Harry Wendelken was also in action, being defeated 6-3 7-6(6) by Italian Matteo Gigante in his opening round contest, while LTA U18 Junior National champion Luca Pow also saw his campaign come to a close with Dutchman Gijs Brouwer prevailing 6-3 6-1 in their opening round encounter.
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