Jannik Sinner, the defending men’s champion, and women’s top seed Aryna Sabalenka arrived at Wimbledon carrying doubts but quickly answered them Monday with sharply different opening-round victories.
Sinner, playing his first match since a surprise second-round exit at the French Open, was pushed to the limit by Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic on a scorching day in Paris before digging deep to prevail 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-3.
Sabalenka, still shaken after a heavy quarterfinal loss to Diana Shnaider in Paris, where she dropped the final 10 games, responded with a far more controlled performance on Centre Court, easing past Serbian qualifier Teodora Kostovic 6-2, 6-3.
Belarus's Aryna Sabalenka returns the ball to Serbia's Teodora Kostovic during their women's singles first-round tennis match on the first day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, U.K., June 29, 2026. (AFP Photo)
In the evening feature, Novak Djokovic opened his bid for an eighth Wimbledon crown, which would match Roger Federer’s record, and a 25th Grand Slam title to move clear of Margaret Court, grinding out a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 win over China’s Wu Yibing.
