LONDON, June 29 (Xinhua) — Defending males’s champion Jannik Sinner and seven-time winner Novak Djokovic survived first-round checks on the 2026 Wimbledon Championships, whereas China’s Wang Xinyu and Zhang Shuai superior within the girls’s singles draw.
World No. 1 Sinner battled again from a set right down to defeat Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-2, 6-3 in a gripping opener that lasted three hours and half-hour.
Playing his first match since a dramatic second-round defeat on the French Open final month, Sinner struggled with unforced errors and slipped closely through the third set, remaining on the bottom for a number of moments. Blood later seeped by his proper shoe within the fourth set, although he later mentioned the bleeding was brought on by a toenail difficulty and was not severe.
The Italian discovered his type again within the remaining two units, committing simply 10 unforced errors, whereas firing 31 aces and 72 winners for the entire match. He will subsequent face Portugal’s Nuno Borges.
Djokovic was additionally pushed exhausting earlier than defeating China’s Wu Yibing 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 in three hours and 12 minutes. The 39-year-old Serbian confirmed indicators of fatigue late within the match however transformed three of his six break-point alternatives, whereas Wu managed only one break from 11 probabilities.
“It didn’t feel like a first round, to be honest,” mentioned Djokovic. “Wu deserves huge applause for his incredible performance. He put me under a lot of pressure. I probably should have lost that fourth set. These kinds of matches are decided in a few points.”
“It was a wonderful match against an excellent opponent on Wimbledon’s center court,” Wu mentioned. “I had many break points in the third and fourth sets, and it’s a pity that I failed to capitalize on them.”
“I was fully prepared for a tough battle before the match, knowing how strong his baseline play is. I was basically in control of the match’s tempo and was perhaps the more aggressive one from the baseline. However, he always managed to return one extra shot at crucial moments, using high-looping balls to disrupt my rhythm, which prevents me from playing decisively,” Wu added.
In the ladies’s draw, China’s Wang defeated Elisabetta Cocciaretto of Italy 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 to succeed in the Wimbledon second spherical for the fourth consecutive yr.
After splitting the opening two units, Wang adjusted her techniques by attacking the web extra regularly within the decider. She secured the decisive break in a marathon fifth recreation earlier than profitable the ultimate three video games to seal victory.
“The match came down to who could take control in the first two shots. We were very close in level,” mentioned Wang, who will subsequent face Eleventh-seeded Belinda Bencic.
Zhang, 37, additionally superior, edging former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu 7-6 (3), 7-6 (6).
The Chinese mentioned she drew inspiration from Sinner’s comeback unfolding concurrently on the middle court docket.
“Every time I looked up at Sinner’s score, he was behind too,” she mentioned. “He’s the world No. 1. Even a player as great as him can fall behind, lose sets and come back. I just needed to give my best.”
China’s Zheng Qinwen suffered one other first-round loss to the Czech Republic’s Katerina Siniakova, falling 6-4, 6-4. It marked the third time Siniakova has overwhelmed Zheng within the opening spherical at Wimbledon after victories in 2023 and 2025.
“My opponent played really well today. More importantly, the two dropped games on my own serve proved to be the turning point of the match. It was also a big pity that I missed out on many break point opportunities today,” Zheng mentioned.
“Grass court play is definitely different from other surfaces. I need to be more aggressive with my serve here. Although both of us committed double faults today, I believe my serve is definitely a key area I can focus on improving,” she added.
Top seed Aryna Sabalenka opened with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Serbia’s Teodora Kostovic. Fourth seed Jessica Pegula, reigning French Open champion Mirra Andreeva and former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka additionally superior.