Robson makes progress at Wimbledon to face Sharapova

Robson won her first women’s singles match at the All England Club at the third time of asking, beating a player positioned 177 places higher than her in the world rankings to progress into the second round.

The 17-year-old – junior Wimbledon champion in 2008 – took two hours and eight minutes to overcome 77th-ranked Kerber 4-6 7-6 (7/4) 6-3 on Court 16.

The outcome was fitting reward for the persistent British No 7, who recovered from an error-strewn first set to outplay the German.

Having shown spirit to scrap her way back into contention in the second set, Robson lit up the third with dazzling play.

Robson showed real class in a deciding set interrupted by a medical time out that saw Kerber receive treatment to her left arm.

Kerber seemed to have few problems striking the ball upon her return and the delay temporarily fazed Robson, but she recovered strongly to seal victory.

In the third game of the match Robson broke Kerber’s serve.

She threatened to undo her good work in the next game when she conceded break point herself, but her authority from the baseline dug her out of trouble.

More concern followed in the eighth, however, and this time Kerber broke back.

Several terrific rallies lit up the ninth game and Robson was matching her more experienced opponent blow for blow.

But, serving to stay in the set, she conceded three points in quick succession amid a flurry of mistakes and Kerber clinched the set.

Kerber showed tenacity as she threatened to break early in the second set, repeatedly hurtling across court to reach the ball, but she was in trouble herself in the fifth.

The German saved break point and was then broken in the ninth as Robson gained the ascendancy with some decisive strokes that stranded Kerber.

But just as the Londoner had placed herself in the driving seat, she allowed the initiative to slip from her hands as Kerber ruthlessly dispatched a weak second serve.

Robson took the set to a tie-break and raced 3-0 ahead, winning one thrilling rally with a shot that clipped the net and slipped over.

Once on the front foot, she was not willing to relinquish control and with a blistering serve took the match to a deciding set.

The home success looked more like becoming reality when a wonderful return enabled Robson to break serve in the second game of the decider. In a heartbeat she surged four games ahead, playing with such authority while Kerber was going to pieces.

The injury delay that followed seemed to temporarily knock Robson off her stride as Kerber came back to 4-3.

Having regained her composure, however, Robson broke back immediately with a sublime cross-court forehand and served out for the match without dropping a point to seal the greatest win of her career.