The day was overcast, the Brits were overcome: it was, in most respects, a very ordinary opening to the Wimbledon fortnight.

There was, however, something new and strange at SW19 yesterday: a quiet optimism that this year would be different.

Officials no longer fear the English summer, now that Centre Court has a roof, and fans no longer fear Britain going out in the first week, now that there is revived hope in Andy Murray.

There were even glimmers of hope in the women’s game, where British fans have endured three hopeless decades.

An ecstatic crowd of 4,000 watched last year’s junior champion, 15-year-old Laura Robson, demolish a player 11 years her senior and 456 places higher up the rankings.

Robson won the first set against Daniela Hantuchova with ease, the partisan crowd cheering her every point, and went a break up in the second. Two former British champions, Virginia Wade and Ann Jones, were watching her in the stands behind Robson’s mother, Kathy.

Shouts of “Come on Laura!” rang around the new Court 2 and were echoed outside by supporters watching the action on the big screen from Aorangi Terrace.

For 38 minutes, that slope, long known as Henman Hill, became Robson Ridge. Then, at 1pm during the second set, Robson lost the upper hand and clouds rolled overhead and blotted out the sun, and the big screen switched over to show coverage of Roger Federer on Centre Court. As usual, he wore an eccentric outfit. As usual, he demolished his first-round opponent.

“It’s a shame,” said a steward on the hill. “I’d have liked to see how Laura got on but I suppose Roger attracts more international interest.”

Robson showed only brief moments of frustration as her Slovakian opponent edged towards victory by two sets to one, but her smile when she won points — and even when she lost them — was a pleasant contrast to the scowls of Tim Henman and Murray.

All this from a girl who, ten days ago, was sitting her GCSE exams. Her mother lamented that the tournament could not be rearranged to accommodate the exigencies of the British school system.

“It was murder,” she said. “Other kids don’t have that sort of pressure. I don’t think it’s really fair but, you know, we couldn’t change it.

In her post-match press conference, Robson confessed to being “just a little bit upset, but I’m pretty proud of myself”.

Hantuchova, the former world No 5 but now ranked 32, said that Robson had reminded her of her younger self. “It didn’t feel good being kicked by a girl 11 years younger than me,” she said.

Robson will be back on the courts next week to defend her junior Wimbledon title and the bookmakers are offering odds of 5-1 that she will win Wimbledon by 2020.

Elsewhere it was business as usual: Maria Sharapova wore a fetching overcoat and grunted and shrieked to victory; Michelle Larcher de Brito, described as the loudest player in the women’s game, seemed to be making an effort to keep the noise down as she won on the outer courts; and another British player, James Ward, was thrashed by a Spaniard.

Today Murray will enter the gates of Wimbledon, bearing the hopes of millions. Last night he posted a confident-sounding “tweet” on his Twitter blog.

“Chilling this evening. hit with miles [Miles Maclagan, his coach] in the morning, then stretch, chicken pasta 4 lunch, then massage. 3rd on centre tmrw. feel good.”