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Sinner overcomes five-set battle at Wimbledon, Sabalenka cruises
On the opening day of Wimbledon 2026, defending champion Jannik Sinner battled through five tough sets to beat Miomir Kecmanovic, while women's world number one Aryna Sabalenka secured a comfortable victory.
On the opening day of Wimbledon 2026, men's defending champion Jannik Sinner and the women's top seed Aryna Sabalenka responded to recent criticism in different ways, booking their places in the second round.
Taking the court after a shock loss to Juan Manuel Cerundolo at the French Open, Sinner defeated Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-3 in three hours and 30 minutes.
The Italian started poorly and fell into danger after losing the third set, but took control in the final two sets. Sinner, who injured his foot during the match and had blood on his shoe, said afterward: "My game wasn't good, but I'm happy I turned it around. Losing the third set was tough." He added that the foot injury is not serious.
With this win, Sinner claimed his 94th Grand Slam match victory, equaling the record held by Italy's Nicola Pietrangeli.
Sabalenka's smooth passage
Women's world number one Sabalenka dominated against Serbian qualifier Teodora Kostovic, winning comfortably 6-2, 6-3.
Sabalenka, who had fallen into a "dark mood" after losing the last 10 games to Diana Shnaider in the French Open quarterfinals, gained a morale boost from this match.
Big shocks for seeds
The opening day also featured surprise results. In the men's draw, 11th seed Casper Ruud of Norway fell to Poland's Hubert Hurkacz, known for his big serves, 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(7), while No. 12 Andrey Rublev of Russia lost to compatriot Roman Safiullin in five sets, missing match points and eventually falling 14-12 in the final-set tiebreak.
French Open finalist Maja Chwalinska also made an early exit in unfortunate fashion. The Polish player, who had match point, suffered an injury and lost to Thailand's Mananchaya Sawangkaew 2-6, 7-5, 6-2.
Gloomy day for home players
The opening day was a major disappointment for British tennis players. The hosts, who entered the main draw with 21 players, suffered consecutive losses without securing a single win.
Emma Raducanu withdrew before the tournament due to injury, and Jack Draper also announced he could not play due to an arm injury. Britain's number one Cameron Norrie, seeded 26th, lost to American Michael Zheng in a five-set battle.
Strong women ease through
Japan's 14th seed Naomi Osaka, drawing attention in a white kimono with a Kill Bill theme, defeated Elsa Jacquemot 6-1, 7-5, while American No. 4 Jessica Pegula beat Darja Vidmanova 7-5, 6-3.
New French Open champion Mirra Andreeva continued her run by beating Magda Linette 7-5, 6-4. Veteran Swiss star Belinda Bencic used her experience to comfortably dispatch British wildcard Mika Stojsavljevic.
New generation takes the stage
In the men's draw, 19-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca, supported by a large group of fans in yellow shirts, eliminated Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6(4), 6-4, 6-3. After the match, Fonseca went to watch his compatriots' World Cup game.
Another 19-year-old, Spain's Rafael Jodar, impressed in his first Grand Slam match by beating Britain's Felix Gill 6-3, 6-3, 7-5.
The match between former US Open champions Daniil Medvedev and Marin Cilic turned out to be one-sided. The eighth-seeded Medvedev breezed past the 37-year-old Cilic 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.
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