Brit rewards

Heather Watson is on a route to the upper echelons of the women's game.

"Heather is heading towards the top 30 in the world pretty quickly and from there it is up to her."
Mark Petchey Quotes of the week

That's the view of Sky Sports pundit Mark Petchey after he watched the 20-year-old Briton seal a place in the second round at Wimbledon courtesy of a 6-2, 6-1 victory over world number 55 Iveta Benesova.

Petchey was impressed by the way Watson, ranked just outside the world's top 100, dealt with the pressure of playing on Centre Court and feels the Guernsey-born starlet is destined for big things.

"Centre Court is very imposing," Petchey told Wimbledon Report. "I played on there against Mats Wilander and if things are going against you it can suddenly feel like you're the only person out there, even though there are 15,000 people in there.

"For Heather to go out there and put in that sort of performance spoke volumes for her and her self-belief. It was a stunning display to record her first win at Wimbledon.

"She has a great personality and all you can do is wish her well. You know that she is putting in the hours and looks for every little angle she can get.

"Her serve has improved immeasurably since she hurt her elbow here last year and she is heading towards the top 30 in the world pretty quickly - and from there it is up to her."

Curve

Watson will tackle Jamie Hampton in round two after the American ousted Slovakian 27th seed Daniela Hantuchova on Monday.

But fellow Briton Oli Golding will play no further part in the men's event after he was beaten by Russia's Igor Andreev, going down 1-6, 7-6, 7-6, 7-5.

The 18-year-old, who won the junior US Open title last year, gave a spirited account of himself against an opponent ranked almost 400 places above him, and Petchey hopes the Londoner shows as much determination in lesser tournaments.

"Let's not get too carried away as it was against someone who doesn't like grass courts," added Petchey. "But for Oli to go out there and match Igor Andreev stoke for stroke and power for power was a good sign for the future.

"His curve is looking pretty good in terms of his progression since winning the US Open juniors last year. Let's hope he can take that on and when he drops back down [to other tournaments] and he gets the wins he needs to get back on the big courts."