Watson and Robson have ability to end era of negative headlines

Those with the knives out and the pens poised had little to criticise as three British women made it through to the second round.

Laura Robson, British No 1 Elena Baltacha and No 2 Anne Keothavong progressed just 12 months after all six British women had fallen at the first hurdle, a failure that was met with a punnet-full of criticism.

Heather Watson would have joined them had she not suffered an elbow injury when on top against world No 70 Mathilde Johansson.

It was hardly cause for singing from South-West London rooftops, but for women’s British tennis it was an improvement, albeit at a glacial pace.

Hessle’s Katie O’Brien was one of those who did not make the second round, and she woke the following morning to those negative headlines that can be so cutting.

Only weeks later O’Brien retired from competitive tennis.

It was not a knee-jerk reaction; at 25 she just felt it was time to discover what else she might be good at.

In her stead, O’Brien believes she leaves a promising stable of British women’s tennis players, in Robson, Watson, Baltacha and Keothavong.

In her opinion, they just need time, and a little understanding.

“They’ve all got fairly decent draws in the first round, so I’d expect a few of them to reach the second round,” said O’Brien.

“There’s six girls altogether and they’re all capable of reaching the second round.

“Anne and Elena play at this level week in, week out and know how to win in the grand slams.

“Laura and Heather are playing really well. They’re growing with each tournament.”

Baltacha and Keothavong might be ranked higher, but it is on the shoulders of Britain’s young duo of Robson and Watson that home hope rests.

With that hope comes pressure, and while O’Brien believes they can handle the hype, she does not see any need to burden them with any great expectations.

“They’ve both got wise heads on their shoulders,” said the 26-year-old.

“They don’t need to read anything into what is written about them.

“And besides, there are quite a few young girls who are a few years away that can make the step up, though we are talking four or five years from now.

“But for now, Laura and Heather have just got to concentrate on their own games, focus on that and nothing else.”

Robson, 19, will need to pull off a similar sized scalp to the one she managed last year when she defeated Angelique Kerber, after being drawn against former French Open finalist and No 24 seed Francesca Schiavone.

Her win last year earned Robson a second-round showdown against Maria Sharapova.

The London starlet raced in to a 4-1 lead on Court One, before a wobble allowed Sharapova back in and she duly went on to lose 6-7 (4/7) 3-6.

Sharapova, usually not one to lavish praise on her opponents, spoke highly of Robson, saying: “She has great potential.

“It will be important to learn from those situations. She’ll get that experience behind her and she’ll be a better player.”

Robson’s career has been surrounded by hype, ever since she won the girls’ title aged 14.

Since then, the road has been a rocky one for the Londoner, who moved to Wimbledon from Australia at the age of six.Intermittent growth spurts – she now stands at almost 6ft having been five inches shorter in 2010 – a split from her former coach, and fluctuation of her form has led to a dampening of expectation around the Briton.

Her results since Wimbledon may not have been brilliant – she only made the first round of the French Open as a lucky loser, and fell at the first hurdle in Australia – but there are still reasons to be optimistic about her future.

Robson’s serve is now more powerful and although she lacks mobility, her timing is impeccable, and grass suits her.

“There are definitely lots of things I can improve and get more consistent at, my first serve especially. On grass that’s going to be a big weapon.”

Watson, 20, – who plays Iveta Benesova – struggled at the start of 2012 due to an ankle injury but has recovered recently, making the second round of the French Open and beating two top-50 players in Miami in March.

That Watson smashed her racket on the clay in frustration at the end of her French Open campaign says a lot about her ambitious nature, although Wimbledon is not the only competition on the confident youngster’s radar.

“My main goal is playing at the Olympics, because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” she said.

Baltacha and Keothavong, both ranked in the top 100, will be hoping to make it through to the third round for the first time despite an average year for both players.

Big-serving Naomi Broady, who has climbed into the top 200, and Johanna Konta are the other two hoping to buck the trend.