Jack Draper delighted the Wimbledon home crowd Tuesday as he dug deep to beat Elias Ymer 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in his first-round match on what was a drama-filled day for British players at the championships.
In total, 11 Brits took to the courts at the All England Club, with the the 22-year-old Draper, who is ranked first among the nation's men's players, regarded as the headline attraction.
He seemed nerveless on Centre Court in the opening game as he took a 30-15 lead with a skillful drop shot before going on to break Ymer.
But Ymer responded quickly as he took charge of the first set and quieted the home support who had come hoping to see Draper take on the baton from Andy Murray as the next star of British men's tennis.
It seemed as if the crowd's wish would be granted after the match swung back in Draper's favour as the Brit found his rhythm midway through the second set. However, Ymer seemed determined to make Draper work hard for his win.
Draper earned an eye-catching victory over Carlos Alcaraz at Queen's on June 20 and, while he failed to produce a similar level of performance in south west London, the left-hander showed a different side to his game against the world No. 206.
He battled through a competitive fourth set in which momentum swung between both players, before Ymer took control, causing Draper to smash his racket repeatedly onto his bag ahead of the deciding game.
A short break while the roof was closed on Centre Court seemed to refocus Draper for the final set as he finally edged past his Swedish adversary. Draper will face fellow Brit Cameron Norrie in the second round after he emerged victorious from his match with Argentine Facundo Diaz Acosta.
Asked about the support he received throughout the contest, Draper told the BBC: "You guys [the fans on Centre Court] were incredible. I love playing in front of loads of people and just thank you honestly, it really helped me out here. There were some nervy moments and, yeah, I just appreciate all the support, it means a lot."
Katie Boulter came through a testing opening match of her own as she beat Tatjana Maria 7-6 (6), 7-5 to set up the second all-British clash of the second round where she will face compatriot Harriet Dart.
Boulter, who is seeded (No. 32) for the first time at this year's championships, struggled to find her rhythm in the first set, making 15 unforced errors in the opening eight games alone.
However, the British women's No. 1 persevered and took the set to an exhausting tiebreak that she eventually won 8-6. The Brit's service game continued to fail her in the second set but Boulter began to find her groove in the third game as she dominated her opponent from the baseline.
But Maria refused to go down without a fight, forcing Boulter to work hard for her spot in the second round.
Dart, 27, earned a comfortable straight-sets win over Bai Zhuoxuan on Court 18, maintaining her dominance despite the match being interrupted by an hour rain delay as she won 6-4, 6-0.
She did not lose serve against Bai and cruised through the second set despite wearing heavy strapping on her left knee.
"Playing a Brit on the grass in the UK is never an easy draw and I'm expecting a tough battle," Boulter told the BBC. "We've played a few times before and I'm going to look at those but it's about playing the tennis ball, not about playing the person.
"We are obviously Billie Jean King Cup teammates on the court but I've got to try and forget that and focus on the tennis."
Earlier Tuesday, Murray withdrew from his first-round match against Tomas Machac and confirmed he has played his final singles match at the championships.
He is still in the draw for the doubles, where he intends to play alongside brother Jamie. However, having had a procedure on a spinal cyst on June 22, Murray decided he had not recovered in time to start his Wimbledon singles' campaign on Tuesday against world No. 38 Machac on Centre Court.
As Murray, 37, continued his preparations for his Wimbledon farewell on the practice courts, fellow Brit Paul Jubb was playing his first match at the championships.
The 24-year-old raced into a two-set lead on Court 14 against world No. 74 Thiago Seyboth Wild before the Brazilian fought back to take the thrilling match 1-6, 3-6, 7-6(6) 6-4, 7-5, denying Jubb a maiden Wimbledon victory in the process.
Before Draper's evening victory, Jacob Fearnley became the first British man at the tournament to secure safe passage into the second round, battling to a 7-5 6-4 7-6 (12) win over Alejandro Moro Canas that included an epic 26-point tiebreak in the deciding set.
Fearnley will face Novak Djokovic in the next round after the seven-time Wimbledon champion outclassed Vít Kopřiva on Centre Court.
On Court 10, 18-year-old Henry Searle made his Wimbledon main draw debut against Marcos Giron. Searle won the boys' singles tournament last year, becoming the first British male to win the junior event since Stanley Matthews in 1962.
But there was to be no dream start for the teenager as he was beaten 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 by his 30-year-old opponent.
Billy Harris, who came into Wimbledon having reached the semifinals at Eastbourne, lost to Spaniard Jaume Munar.
Harris did what he could to stay in the match, saving three match points before the Spaniard eventually booked his passaged to the second round with a 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win.
Jan Choinski lost to No. 37-ranked Luciano Darderi having led by two sets to one before succumbing to a 7-5, 4-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 defeat.
Francesca Jones also saw her Wimbledon campaign come to an end in the first round as she lost 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 to Petra Martic on Court 15.
Daniel Evans will resume his first round match against Alejandro Tabilo with the score at 2-6, 3-3 after play was suspended with the Brit complaining of a slippery court as the light began to fade.