Men’s defending champion Jannik Sinner and women’s top seed Aryna Sabalenka both arrived at Wimbledon with question marks, but they answered them with contrasting first-round wins.
Italy’s Sinner, playing his first match since a shocking collapse and defeat in the second round of the French Open in the scorching heat of Paris, was pushed to the limit by Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic but held on to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-2, 6-3 on Monday.
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Sabalenka, who lost her final 10 games to Diana Schneider in the quarterfinals and left Paris in a “deep, dark place”, followed Sinner to center court and easily defeated Serbian qualifier Teodora Kostovic 6-2, 6-3.
World number one Sinner, who was the overwhelming favorite to win in the absence of Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, continued to compete for another day, but was also a victim of early seeding.
Norway’s 11th seed Kasper Ruud was handed a tough draw by heavyweight pole player Hubert Hurkas, losing 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7). Meanwhile, 12th seed Andrei Rublev fell behind in a five-set battle with fellow Russian Roman Safiulin, missing two match points before losing the deciding set tie-break 14-12.
Surprise French Open runner-up Maya Chwalinska also had a heartbreaking loss on Monday, losing 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 to Thai qualifier Manachaya Sawankeo, who suffered an injury after collapsing on match point.
Some female seeds passed on a day that was luckily cooler than the heat wave that hit London last week.
Japan’s Naomi Osaka once again dressed to impress, walking the court in a Kill Bill-inspired white kimono and tennis shoes, shining as the 14th seed defeated Elsa Jacquemot 6-1, 7-5.
Fourth seed Jessica Pegula of the United States defeated Darja Vidmanova 7-5, 6-3, while French Open champion and fifth seed Mila Andreeva defeated Magda Lynette 7-5, 6-4.
Switzerland’s 11th seed Belinda Bencic has too much experience for young wildcard Mika Stoisavljevic, but the loss was one of a number of matches that made for a disastrous day for the home player.
The hope of home disappears
It was a tough day for my home country, as they were never able to celebrate a victory.
Twenty-one players, including 12 wild cards, were drawn for the first round, but Emma Laducanu withdrew with an injury the night before the tournament, followed by Jack Draper, who announced on Monday that he would also withdraw with an arm injury.
Ten British players were eliminated, including British No. 1 seed Cameron Nolley (26th seed), who lost in five sets to American qualifier Michael Jenn, who had a great time.
Sinner’s meltdown against Juan Manuel Cerundro in the Roland Garros furnace raised questions about his long-term durability, but he answered those questions against Kecmanovic, albeit in relatively cool conditions.
Sinner won his 94th Grand Slam match, tying Nicola Pietrangeli’s Italian record, but he sweated profusely and bled a little while reaching the record, and his white shoes were stained red after he injured his nail in a fall.
“It was a little tough at first. I didn’t play my best, but I tried to get back on track,” he said. “The third set was very difficult to swallow, so I’m happy to turn it around.”
Sinner had a point leading two sets and one, but lost it and Kecmanovic pounced. Sinner was in danger of becoming the third defending Wimbledon men’s champion to lose in the first round, but he dominated from there and later said his foot injury was not serious despite the severe pain he suffered during the three-hour-and-a-half match, the third-longest at Wimbledon.
“I’m actually surprised they let me continue playing because my all-white outfit turned a little red,” he added.
Victory for the new generation
Fans on Court One, who were hoping for Raducanu’s performance, were disappointed when home hopeful Harriet Dart lost to Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko in a substitute match.
Next up was a duel between two more former US Open champions, Daniil Medvedev and Marin Cilic, but the duel ended in failure as the eighth seed Medvedev won 6-1, 6-2, 6-4, with Cilic having his full 37 years on display.
Two members of the new generation of boys graced the first day.
Brazil’s João Fonseca defeated Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-3 to the cheers of a crowd of fans wearing yellow soccer shirts as he headed off to watch Brazil beat Japan to reach the last 16 of the World Cup.
Spain’s up-and-coming teenager Rafael Jodal, also 19, made an impressive debut with a 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 victory over British wildcard Felix Gil.
