Katie Swan Becomes First Brit To Reach Wimbledon 2026 Second Round After Beating Irina-Camelia Begu

Katie Swan became the first Brit to reach Wimbledon 2026 second round after beating Romanian world number 173 Irina-Camelia Begu 6-4 6-4 on Court 16 in an hour and 23 minutes.

“- Published Not too long ago, Katie Swan thought her playing days might be over”

BBC

The win halted a run in which all 10 home players who completed their matches on Monday lost, while Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu pulled out of the tournament.

BBC

Swan, who is 27, converted a fifth match point and collapsed to her knees after converting it, having feared recurrent back problems might cut short her playing days.

The BBC said the victory represented a "full-circle moment" for Swan, who claimed her first Grand Slam main-draw win against Begu at Wimbledon in 2018.

Swan’s next match at Wimbledon is against 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys, with the BBC also noting she will face Keys in the second round later this week.

After Swan secured the win, she said, "I honestly think it’s probably number one," when asked where the victory ranked among her achievements.

She added, "It means so much," describing the relief of finishing the match after being 40-love up in the final game and then saving break point.

LBC

Katie Boulter backed close friend Swan, telling the BBC Radio 5 live that "She’s a great girl. She deserves every minute of today."

Boulter said Swan has "a big game" and can disrupt anyone, while the LBC report said Swan does not feel undue burden about carrying British hopes, saying, "I don’t really feel any pressure in that sense."

The BBC also quoted Swan reflecting on her preparation, saying, "It feels like a different life eight years ago [for] me to today," as she returned to SW19 after three years away from the All England Club.

The BBC described how Swan’s career was derailed by injuries and that by the end of 2024 she had reached breaking point, saying, "I wasn't playing tennis anymore. I was coaching in the United States and I wasn't really sure there was a way back to professional tennis."

“Great Britain’s Katie Swan became the nation’s first winner at this year's Wimbledon and it was her first Grand Slam main draw victory since Wimbledon 2018”

SportsTiger

Swan told BBC Radio 5 live that the treatment she needed was "excruciating," adding, "He ended up doing a nerve kind of treatment on me. It was very painful," after a doctor found her nerves "weren't functioning properly."

After the treatment in early 2025, the BBC said she won six titles on the ITF women's circuit and after breaking back into the top 200 earlier this month received a wildcard for Wimbledon.

The LBC report said Swan watched a replay of her 2018 victory over Begu as part of her preparations and will next take on 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys.

With Swan now ranked as the British No. 6, the BBC said she became the first British player to reach the second round at this year’s Wimbledon, and she said, "I didn't want to retire from tennis with any regrets - and I feel like if I'd have stopped back then, that would've been the case."