WIMBLEDON/WASHINGTON, June 29, 2026 (by Michael Dickens)
In the span of three hours and 30 minutes on Opening Day at the 139th Wimbledon Championships Monday, World No. 1 Jannik Sinner overcame bit of rust from not playing since Roland-Garros, a fall in the third set, a bloody foot, and a two-sets-to-one-deficit against his first-round opponent, Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia.
Somehow, some way, the 24-year-old defending champion and top seed from Italy, who had the honor by tradition of playing the opening match on Centre Court, overcame many different obstacles to prevail in five sets, 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-2, 6-3. While you can’t win a Grand Slam title in the first week of a major, you can certainly lose it.
Opening his title defence with a hard-fought win 💪
Jannik Sinner defeats Miomir Kecmanovic in five entertaining sets on Centre Court!#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/wetY3JQQIA
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 29, 2026
Against a very resilient opponent in the 50th-ranked Kecmanovic, Sinner finished the debut match on Centre Court with 31 aces and 72 winners overall. He won 89 percent (77 of 87) of his first-serve points, converted four of nine break points and overcame 52 unforced errors. Sinner outpointed Kecmanovic 157-128 in his first match since bowing in the second round of the French Open against Juan Manuel Cerundolo of Argentina after being overcome by the Paris heat.
“It’s such a huge honor to start the tournament and be the first ones to come out here,” Sinner said during his on-court interview with the BBC. “I was a little tight in the beginning. I didn’t play my very best, but I tried to get into it. It was my first official match on grass, which is very important. I’m happy that I turned it around. The third set was a very tough one to swallow, but I’m very happy.”
The victory was Sinner’s 94th in Grand Slam competitions, which tied him with the late Nicola Pietrangeli for the most major victories among Italian men. He avoided becoming just the third defending champion to be eliminated in the first round at Wimbledon.
“We had a good rhythm, it was a great match from both us,” added Sinner, who improved his 2026 win-loss record to 38-3.
Take a bow, @janniksin 😮💨#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/EIGCqCYRqQ
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 29, 2026
Sinner set up match point with his 31st ace up the middle and closed it on his second opportunity with a non-returnable serve at 5:07 p.m. He clinched his fist and acknowledged the applause from the Centre Court audience, which included British royalty, the Duke of Kent, and football royalty, British soccer icon David Beckham, who were sitting in the front row on the south end of the biggest show court at the All England Club.
“It was a very different feeling,” Sinner said of opening play on Centre Court. “There’s a lot of nerves when you go down the stairs behind the court. Also, mentally knowing that it’s a prestige court and such an historic court, coming back as the defending champion it means a lot to me. Every year is different. Every year can be very, very tough. First of all, I’m happy to win the first one. Of course, I’ll try to make some improvements for the next match. Today, I can be very happy.”
Sir David Beckham and his mum, Sandra, watching on from the Royal Box 💚 pic.twitter.com/tDdgMKvjtJ
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 29, 2026
On Wednesday, Sinner will play No. 48 Nuno Borges of Portugal, who advanced with a 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 victory over 191st-ranked qualifier Tristan Boyer of the United States in two hours and five minutes on Court 7.
Sabalenka rates herself an 8 out of 10 after first-round win
Aryna Sabalenka needed just 65 minutes to defeat 184th-ranked qualifier Teodora Kostovic of Serbia, 6-2, 6-3, on Centre Court Monday afternoon to move into the second round.
The World No. 1 from Belarus hit 22 winners, won 83 percent of her first-serve points and converted five of 11 break points. She outpointed Kostovic 60-39 in her seventh consecutive Grand Slam appearance as a top seed.
During her on-court interview with the BBC, Sabalenka praised Kostovic, her over-whelmed opponent.
“Yeah, she brought a really good fight. She stepped in a little more in the second set. She pushed me a bit more,” said Sabalenka, who improved to 34-5 this season. “I’m happy I was able to close it in straight sets. I totally get it. Playing for the first time on Centre Court, it’s a lot of pressure. But I’m pretty sure she’ll deal with that much better next time.”
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Making her seventh Wimbledon appearance, the four-time major champion Sabalenka is still in search of her first Wimbledon crown. She has reached the semifinals in her last three visits to the All England Club but has lost each time in the last four.
Sabalenka, who is making her seventh straight Grand Slam appearance as the top seed, added:
“I think we all get nervous. It’s just part of our lives. You kind of block that part of your brain and kind of try to focus on yourself. I think with experience I learned how to deal with nerves and expectations a bit better.”
Asked how she would rate her first-round performance, Sabalenka smiled, then replied: “I have to say for the first match I felt pretty good. I’ll rate myself … let’s say 8 out of 10.”
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Djokovic pulls out four-set win over Wu
Seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia, making his 21st appearance at The Championships, wrapped up Opening Day with an entertaining and, at times, action-packed four-set victory over 102nd-ranked Wu Yibing of China, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, in three hours and 12 minutes. It was their first career meeting and the win was Djokovic’s 103rd at Wimbledon, two behind Roger Federer‘s record of 105.
The first-round match on Centre Court – the last of three – began with the roof open, but it was closed after the completion of the second set due to darkness. However, Djokovic won both sets contested with the roof closed and he improved his Wimbledon first-round win-loss record to 21-0. He is appearing in just his fifth tournament this season – and first one on grass.
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“It felt really challenging today, Wu deserves a round of applause for his incredible performance,” Djokovic said during his on-court interview. “As for how I’m feeling, I’m feeling happy but not the freshest, I guess. It didn’t feel like the first round to be honest.
“It felt like we played two different matches; one with the open roof and the closed roof. It affects the conditions and the moisture of the grass it becomes more slippery so, you kind of have to adjust and adapt to that but it’s not easy because once you’re in the point you want to give your best.”
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The 39-year-old Djokovic finished with 35 winners – including 15 aces – and won 78 percent (73 of 94) of his first-serve points. He saved 10 of 11 break points he faced from Wu and broke his opponent three times in six tries. Although Wu struck 15 aces and hit 54 winners, he also made 40 unforced errors – 14 more than Djokovic – and the Serbian great outpointed his opponent 136-123.
The 24-time major champion will return on Wednesday to face No. 87 Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece, who advanced to the second round over 118th-ranked qualifier Hugo Gaston of France, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2, in one hour and 31 minutes on Court 16. Djokovic leads his career head-to-head 12-2 over Tsitsipas but they have not played since the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Around the All England Club
Men:
• No. 11 seed Casper Ruud of Norway was ousted in the first round by No. 96 Hubert Hurkacz of Poland, 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7), in two hours and two minutes on No. 3 Court in their fifth career meeting (Ruud leads their head-to-head 3-2) but first on grass. Ruud won their only previous meeting at a Grand Slam, in the round of 16 at Roland-Garros in 2022. Hurkacz buried Ruud behind 37 winners – including 15 aces. Ruud fell to 3-6 at Wimbledon.
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• In the third-longest match of the day, 132nd-ranked qualifier Roman Safiullin upset No. 12 seed Andrey Rublev, 6-4, 6-7 (6), 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (14-12), in three hours and 58 minutes on Court 16, in a first-time battle of 28-year-old Russians. Safiullin served 11 aces, struck 56 winners and saved two match points. He overcame 22 aces and 54 winners from Rublev, who has never lost to a player ranked as low as Safiullin at a Grand Slam event. Rublev, who reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon last year, failed in his bid to reach the second round for the sixth time.
• No. 23 seed Rafael Jodar of Spain was successful in his Wimbledon debut and first tour-level match on grass. He defeated 220th-ranked British wild card Felix Gill, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5, in one hour and 56 minutes on No. 3 Court to advance to the second round of a major for the third time. Jodar accumulated 31 winners, served seven aces and outpointed his opponent 103-73. He improved to 4-3 against left-handed players at tour level.
“I think this surface is a bit different from the other two,” Jodar said during his post-match news conference, describing the difference between playing on grass compared to clay and hard courts. “You have to pay more attention to every detail, because everything goes very fast, and if you don’t serve very well one game, then getting that break back is difficult.
“But I think I handled very well the situations in the match today, so I’m happy about that.”
First #Wimbledon. First Wimbledon win ✅
Rafael Jodar goes through to the second round on his Championships debut, defeating Felix Gill 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/U2hqznWy10
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 29, 2026
• Other seeded winners include: No. 3 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada, No. 8 seed Daniil Medvedev of Russia, No. 16 seed Learner Tien of the United States, No. 21 seed Tommy Paul of the United States, No. 22 seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain, No. 24 seed Joao Fonseca of Brazil, No. 25 seed Arthur Rinderknech of France, and No. 31 seed Ignacio Buse of Peru.
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• Arguably, the biggest upset – or, at least the biggest disappointment in a winless day full of them for British tennis fans – was the loss of No. 26 seed Cameron Norrie against 144th-ranked American qualifier Michael Zheng, which was the second-longest match of the day at four hours and one minute. Zheng, a 22-year-old U.S. collegiate champion at Columbia University in New York City, knocked off Norrie, a quarterfinalist at last year’s Wimbledon, 6-7 (7), 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-3, 7-6 (10-4) on No. 2 Court.
Zheng fired 21 aces and hit 74 overall winners. He withstood 46 winners from Norrie and outpointed his British opponent 194-173.
“I think Norrie is pretty well known for competing really well, and yeah, I mean, he’s had that college experience, so I knew it was going to be a battle,” Zheng said during his post-match news conference.
“Yeah, I thought the level was really high throughout the match, not too many breaks of serve. I thought I was serving really well, and it was kind of really was just a few points here and there.”
Women:
• No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula of the United States needed just 73 minutes to advance to the second round after defeating Daria Vidmanova of Czechia, 7-5, 6-3, on No. 2 Court. Pegula struck 31 winners – including four aces – and controlled the match against the 92nd-ranked Vidmanova, who was making her Grand Slam main draw debut. Overall, this is Pegula’s 30th Grand Slam main draw appearance and she’s reached the quarterfinals at all four majors.
• No. 11 seed Belinda Bencic of Switzerland needed only 63 minutes defeat 276th-ranked wild card Mika Stojsavljevic of Great Britain, 6-2, 6-1 on Court 18 to move into the second round. Bencic hit nine winners, made just 10 unforced errors and converted five of nine break points against the 17-year-old British teenager, who was appearing in her second Wimbledon main draw and facing a Top-20 opponent for the first time.
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• No. 16 seed Iva Jovic of the United States advanced to the second round with a 7-6 (1), 6-0 victory over No. 37 Jaqueline Cristian of Romania in one hour and 30 minutes on Court 15. Jovic won 82 percent (28 of 34) of her first-serve points, saved both break points she faced and hit 19 winners. She outpointed Cristian 72-53.
• No. 20 seed Maja Chwalinska of Poland, who was a finalist at Roland-Garros and received a wild card entry to avoid having to go through qualifying, was upset in the first round by 164th-ranked qualifier Mananchaya Sawangkaew of Thailand in two hours and 41 minutes on Court 12. Chwalinska led 5-2 in the second set and had a match point, but her Thai opponent rallied to pull out the set and went on to win the match, 2-6, 7-5, 6-2.
• Other seeded winners include: No. 5 seed Mirra Andreeva of Russia, No. 7 seed Coco Gauff of the United States, No. 10 Karolina Muchova of Czechia, No. 18 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia, No. 19 seed Anna Kalinskaya of Russia, and No. 32 seed Katerina Siniakova of Czechia.
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Another fashion statement made by Osaka
In a season in which Naomi Osaka has brought haute couture to each of the majors, Monday afternoon the Japanese icon made another fashion statement as she walked out on No. 3 Court for her first-round match against No. 80 Elsa Jacquemot of France.
The No. 14 seed Osaka, in honoring the tradition of wearing white at Wimbledon, wore a Japanese-style kimono that she said was inspired by actress Lucy Liu in the film “Kill Bill.”
Naomi Osaka is her ✨ pic.twitter.com/UTJzt8ohU1
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 29, 2026
“For me, like when someone talks about Wimbledon or when I think about Wimbledon, it’s like obviously the all-white. It’s the oldest tournament, right, the oldest slam or something?” the 28-year-0ld Osaka said during her post-match news conference.
“Yeah, then there’s obviously, like, the tradition of it all. In my head, when I think about that, I think about my cultures, my heritage, which is Japanese and Haitian.
“Then if I dive deeper into like Japanese culture, I think about the most iconic silhouette, which for me is a kimono. You don’t have to see the color of a kimono to know that it is a kimono.
“I don’t know, I was just thinking about my favorite movies also. I love ‘Kill Bill.’ I remembered absolutely falling in love with Lucy Lu’s character. She has an all-white kimono, and I remember thinking that was really cool and amazing. Then it just kind of went from there. It was like my interpretation of that while also paying a lot of respect and love to Japan.”
Pure elegance 🤍@naomiosaka | #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/J7INRDMg49
— wta (@WTA) June 29, 2026
Fashion aside, Osaka defeated Jacquemot, 6-1, 7-5, in one hour and 19 minutes to advance to the second round. She hit 34 winners, made 22 unforced errors, converted four of nine break points and outpointed her opponent 77-55.
Double heartbreak for British tennis
A day after Great Britain’s top-ranked women’s player, No. 33 Emma Raducanu, withdrew from The Championships due to a stress fracture in her lower right leg, former British No. 1 Jack Draper pulled out of Wimbledon on Monday without hitting a ball in this year’s competition.
The 131st-ranked Draper, a semifinalist last week at Eastbourne, was scheduled to face World No. 7 Taylor Fritz of the United States in a first-round match on Tuesday. Instead, his place will be taken by Serbian lucky loser Dusan Lajovic, who is ranked 153rd.
We’re sorry to hear your news, @jackdraper0.
Wishing you all the best in recovering from your arm injury 💚 pic.twitter.com/K091rPHJAm
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 29, 2026
Draper said: “There have been a lot of painful moments in the last 12 months but this one is definitely the absolute worst as there is no great honor for a British player than playing at Wimbledon.”
A year ago, the 24-year-old Draper bowed in the second round at Wimbledon, then only played at the US Open the remainder of the season due to a left arm injury. This season, Draper has appeared in just five tournaments. He recently brought on British great Andy Murray to be his coach.
On Monday, British players lost all 10 of their first-round matches.
Andy & Jack 😎 pic.twitter.com/hi6NBxWF0Q
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 28, 2026
Tuesday’s Wimbledon order of play
By the numbers
Jannik Sinner is bidding to become the 10th man in the Open Era to retain the Wimbledon title – after Rod Laver, John Newcombe, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.
“Quotable …”
“Definitely so happy to be back here playing again at Wimbledon … it’s been two years. Two years ago, I had a small accident here. But I’m happy to be able to be back here now. Casper is an amazing competitor. It’s always very challenging to play against him. Definitely pleased with the victory. He had some amazing results this year. Thanks, guys, for the support. Hope you enjoyed the tennis. So many Polish fans showing up. Thank you.”
– Unseeded Hubert Hurkacz of Poland, during his on-court interview, after upsetting No. 11 seed Casper Ruud of Norway in the first round on Monday.
