Robson’s win helps lift gloom as Moore hits back

Robson joined Andy Murray as the only two Britons out of 10 to win a first-round match at Wimbledon as she comfortably shocked No 10 seed Maria Kirilenko 6-3 6-4 on Court One.

The poor home showing – and the fact that seven of the players had been handed wild cards by the Lawn Tennis Association – had sparked a barrage of discontent on social media sites.

Robson’s welcome victory restored some pride, but the questions remain over whether so many SW19 wild cards should be awarded to under-achieving home players.

The criticism was, however, too much for British youngster Tara Moore, who launched a passionate defence of the wild card system and of British tennis as she herself took to Twitter in the hours before her narrow defeat to Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi.

Moore, 20, who was born in Hong Kong but who now lives in Florida and has family in Doncaster, hit back at those who claimed British tennis stars were not value for money.

She then proved herself worthy of the LTA’s generosity by pushing experienced Kanepi all the way before eventually falling 5-7 7-5 5-7.

Robson was the undoubted star of day two from a home perspective, with the British No 1 producing a typically brutal display of power tennis.

And it is on her shoulders that British hopes in the women’s draw will continue, after Heather Watson also crashed out, losing in straight sets to Madison Keys.

That took the tally to seven first-round exits, and before she even went into action on Court 17, Moore launched a passionate defence of fellow women tennis players as a war of words broke out over British wild cards.

What had angered many critics is the fact that first-round losers get £23,500 in prize money, with Elena Baltacha, who was knocked out of the tournament before play had even started on the show courts on Monday, believed to have earned more than £150,000 during an unflattering career at the All England Club.

One user, writing as OvalBallBrain, commented several times on Baltacha and Anne Keothavong’s performances, asking if there were players more “deserving” of a wild card entry.

“Between Baltacha and Keothavong they won 9 games today. Time to move on LTA,” one said, a later message adding: “Well you saw two BRITISH PLAYERS win a total of 9 games today. Worth your money? Doubt it.”

But 20-year-old Moore – who describes Doncaster as her British home – hit out at the critics in a self-confessed ‘rant’ on her own Twitter site.

She wrote: “People that are tweeting @ElenaBaltacha and @annekeothavong abuse don’t see what they and all tennis players go through day in day out...

“Try one week in our shoes and you’d see the effort we put into training and not just for the Wimbledon two weeks you guys seem to see...

“#rantover. But thanks to those people who actually appreciate tennis #Wimbledon #BritishTennis.”

Later in the day, Moore showed as much fight on the court as she did off it by giving four-time grand slam quarter-finalist Kanepi a real scare.

Moore, playing in her first grand slam having first picked up a racket aged seven, pushed Kanepi in the first set before succumbing 7-5, and then after losing five set points, clinched the second by the same score.

She continued to endear herself to the home crowd with a tenacious performance, battling back from 3-0 down, and overcoming a knee injury, in the decider to level at 4-4.

Moore, with her leg heavily strapped, then saved three match points and broke her opponent as she served for the match before Kanepi eventually prevailed.

Former British No 1 Jo Durie said of Moore’s performance: “I hope Moore goes on to do herself justice. She can get back into this tournament next year, I think she is that good.”

Moore was the only British player to speak up about the criticism with Keothavong and Baltacha staying silent.

Other than Andy Murray’s performance, Monday proved a dismal opening day for the Britons as six fell at the first hurdle, with Baltacha, Keothavong, Johanna Konta, Samantha Murray, James Ward and Kyle Edmund all exiting the competition. Beverley’s Edmund, 18, does at least have great potential in the men’s game and, like Moore, was making his first appearance in the main draw of a grand slam where he lost to Polish 24th seed Jerzy Janowicz.

The criticism of wild cards at Wimbledon rose three years ago, when the Lawn Tennis Association came in for severe condemnation after Murray was the only member of Britain’s eight-strong crop to make it through to the last 64.

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