Author: Barkha Roy
Defending champion Novak Djokovic began his quest for a fifth consecutive Wimbledon title in impressive fashion, comfortably beating Pedro Cachin in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, 7-6(4). Although Djokovic suffered an early setback with a dropped serve in the third game, he quickly regained control and secured victory in just over two hours and eleven minutes. The Serbian star now prepares for his second-round clash against Australian Jordan Thompson, who pulled off a remarkable comeback victory against Brandon Nakashima, winning 2-6, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-3.
In another surprising match, former world number 3 Stan Wawrinka demonstrated his grass court skills by beating Emil Ruusuvuori in straight sets, 7-5, 7-5 and 6-4. Wawrinka now awaits the winner of the match between Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Bernabe Zapata Miralles for his second round match. If the 38-year-old Swiss wins his next match, an interesting contest against Djokovic awaits him in the third round.
On the first day of Wimbledon, American Michael Mmoh caused a major surprise by beating 11th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime. Ranked 119th in the world, Mmoh won a very tight match 7-6(4), 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 6-4 over the Canadian. This was his first win in the main draw at Wimbledon, making it a memorable occasion for the young American.
Italian Jannik Sinner showed his dominance on grass courts by overpowering Juan Manuel Cerundolo, securing a comprehensive 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 victory to advance to the second round. Sinner’s next opponent will be former Top 10 player Diego Schwartzman, who dispatched Miomir Kecmanovic 6-0, 6-3, 6-4 in his opening match.
Andrey Rublev also secured a place in the second round, beating Max Purcell 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 in straight sets. Rublev’s next challenge will be against Aslan Karatsev, who beat Frenchman Luca Van Assche 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2, 6-4. Fourth seed Casper Ruud also advanced by beating French qualifier Laurent Lokoli 6-1, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in his first grass-court match of the season. Ruud will now face British wild card Liam Broady, who reached the second round for the second year running after beating Constant Lestienne 6-1, 6-3, 7-5.
Meanwhile, the women’s singles event at Wimbledon had its fair share of surprises on the opening day, with former world number four Sofia Kenin causing the first major upset. Kenin defeated world number 7 Coco Gauff in a thrilling match, winning 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 to advance to the second round. Her next opponent will be world number 73 Wang Xinyu, who secured her first win at Wimbledon by beating Australian qualifier Storm Hunter 6-3, 6-1.
Number 4 seed Jessica Pegula faced a tough challenge in the first round, narrowly escaping defeat to fellow American Lauren Davis. Pegula fought back from a break down in the third set to secure a hard-fought 6-2, 6-7(8), 6-3 win in a match that lasted 2 hours and 20 minutes. Pegula now has her sights set on a second-round match against Cristina Bucsa, who showed enormous resilience by saving four consecutive match points in the tiebreak of the third set to overcome Kamilla Rakhimova, winning 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(9).
On Centre Court, five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams ended her 24th campaign at the prestigious tournament with a first-round defeat to Elina Svitolina, who triumphed 6-4, 6-3. Svitolina’s win sets up an interesting second-round clash against 28th-ranked Elise Mertens, who comfortably beat Slovak qualifier Viktoria Hruncakova 7-6(2), 6-2.
Number 5 seed Caroline Garcia started her Wimbledon campaign on a positive note, securing a straight sets victory over 21-year-old Katie Volynets of the United States. Garcia won 6-4, 6-3 on Court No. 3, marking his sixth first-round victory at Wimbledon during his career. In the second round, Garcia will face Canada’s rising star Leylah Fernandez, who showed her resilience by overcoming Ukraine’s Kateryna Baindl in a three-set battle, winning 6-4, 4-6 and 6-4.