London — Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz blew hot and cold on a blazing Monday at Wimbledon but the Spaniard survived a huge scare to beat dangerous Italian Fabio Fognini 7-5 6-7(5) 7-5 2-6 6-1 and reach the second round.
Alcaraz, bidding to become only the fifth man since tennis turned professional in 1968 to win three consecutive Wimbledon titles, arrived at the All England Club on an 18-match winning streak but the second seed looked out of sorts at times.
The 22-year-old had to save a couple of break points at 2-1 down and three more in his next service game before breaking for a 6-5 lead with a sublime drop shot followed by a lob as fans on Centre Court expected normal service to resume.
Fognini conceded the opening set but clawed his way back after surrendering his serve to force a tiebreak in the next and the 38-year-old drew level at one set apiece when Alcaraz missed a simple passing shot at the net.
Alcaraz, who frequently reached for iced towels during the changeovers, regained his grip on the match by winning the third set despite more wobbles, only to lose the next and appeared rattled heading into the decider.
He moved through the gears, however, and pumped his fists after surging to a 3-0 lead and closed out the contest with no fuss after a lengthy break due to a spectator needing medical attention in the stands.
Top seed Aryna Sabalenka overcame Canadian qualifier Carson Branstine on Court One to get her quest for a first Wimbledon title up and running with a 6-1 7-5 win.
With the thermometer soaring above 30°C, the Belarusian turned up the heat early to win the opening five games.
But Branstine, who juggles her time between the tennis courts and working as a model, earned loud applause when she got on the scoreboard and though Sabalenka eased to the first set, the second was an intense duel of fierce baseline rallies.
Sabalenka, seeded one at Wimbledon for the first time, usually overpowers her opponents with the sheer force of her game, but Branstine had firepower of her own.
The Canadian powered down several big aces as she stayed ahead in the second set but Sabalenka sensed her chance at 5-5 and broke serve by forcing her opponent to net a forehand. Sabalenka wrapped up the win with a solid hold.
Twice Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur’s tournament lasted only 1hr 25min as the Tunisian retired in her first-round match against Viktoriya Tomova.
Bulgarian Tomova took a tight opening set on a tiebreak and was 2-0 ahead in the second when Jabeur, who reached the final in 2022 and 2023, decided she could not continue. The 30-year-old former world No 2 had looked uncomfortable in fiercely hot conditions on Court 14 and needed a long medical timeout in the first set.
Jabeur, who has slipped outside the world’s top 50, suffers from asthma and experienced breathing difficulties at the 2025 Australian Open.
Reuters
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.