World No. 196 Katie Swan was the last British woman remaining in the Wimbledon singles draw, but on Thursday the nation’s final hope was extinguished as the in-form Madison Keys cruised to a 6-1 6-4 second-round victory.
Supported by Catherine, Princess of Wales, British Billie Jean King Cup captain Anne Keothavong, and two-time Wimbledon men’s champion Andy Murray, wildcard Swan kept the second set competitive, twice fighting back from a break down to level at 4-4. However, she was broken once more as the 26th seed, fresh from winning her third Eastbourne title, moved ahead 5-4 before holding serve to seal victory on her third match point. The American has now recorded seven grass-court wins in the past 10 days.
According to BBC, the opening round of the men’s and women’s singles at Wimbledon 2026 marked the worst results for British players in more than a decade. Of the 19 Brits in action, only four won their first-round matches, leaving 15 first-round exits. In the women’s draw, Swan was the only one of eight British players to reach the second round. British number one Emma Raducanu withdrew on the eve of the tournament due to a stress fracture in her lower right leg.
This year’s 78.95% first-round exit rate for British players was the highest since 2013, and the sixth-highest since Wimbledon adopted a 128-player knockout format in 1983. An exit rate of 80% or higher has only been recorded on five occasions: 2003, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2013.
