Key events
As discussed, I’ve got four matches on, so there’s a fair amount of noise in my box room. But by far the loudest is coming from the commentary team watching Zheng v Norrie – they’re absolutely loving the youngster’s performance and prospects.
Sinner gets to advantage … then Kecmanovic goes long on the forehand. That concludes a 6-2 set and as a consequence of clinching it with a break, Sinner will be serving first in the decider.
Wow, Zheng holds to love and actually, this has the feel of a match that could go a ridiculous distance, had we not inserted the match breaker into proceedings. Norrie is serving at 5-5 in the fifth; Medvedev leads Cilic 5-1 in the first; having taken the first 6-1, Osaka now trials Jacquemot 3-0 in the second; Rinderknech leads Tarvet 7-6 7-6; and Fonseca is nearly home, up 7-6 6-4 5-2 on Bautista Agut.
Gosh, but Norrie then goes for too much, perhaps incited so to do by Zheng’s ridiculous court-coverage … but again, his serve saves him. And from there, Norrie serves out, roaring at the crowd; he leads 5-4 in the fifth, and now has a chance to break for the match. Sinner meantime, has consolidated for 5-2 in the fourth; we look headed for a decider.
OK, Sinner lays a drop, Kecmanovic can’t get it back, he has two break points at 15-40 … and he only needs one, a forehand to the corner returned long while, on 2, a brilliant forehand winner from the corner means Zheng has break point at 4-4 in the fifth … but nets a return. This is a jazzer of a match – if you can, get it on.
On No 2, Zheng is playing beautifully, saluting the crowd after a winner and holding through deuce for 4-4 in the fifth. He looks at least as fresh as the famously well-conditioned Norrie, and I don’t think he’ll bottle it as we near the finish line.
Osaka is far, far too good for Jacquemot, securing a 6-1 set while, on No 1, Medvedev has broken cilic early doors for 2-1 in the first.
Back with the champ, he’s up 2-1 in the fourth, on serve, but Kecmanovic will take some breaking. He’s not, actually, the kind I’d expect to give one of the greats grief – he’s decent all round, but lacks big weapons. For now, though, he’s playing pretty much as well as he can, levelling at 2-2 in the time it takes me to type out this post.
Osaka is into it now, leading Jacquemot 4-1 in the first. I don’t think she can win the competition without first improving her volleying, or at least incorporating net-play into her game, but she’s capable of beating anyone on any surface in a one-off; including Aryna Sabalenka, whom she’s seeded to meet in round four.
Like the group stages of the World Cup, the first week of Wimbledon isn’t really about the favourites, rather the surprise classics and upsets. But if Sinner were to lose here, we’d be talking about one of the biggest first-round shocks of all time; two others bigguns that come to mind, Dooohan beating Becker in 1987 and Dustin Brown seeing off Nadal in 2015, were in round two.
Righto, let’s have a look around the courts. Norrie leads Zheng 2-1 in the fifth, on serve; Osaka leads Jacquemot 2-1; Rinderknech leads Tarvet 7-6 3-4; Fonseca leads Bautista Agut 7-6 6-4 1-0; and Cilic is just about to serve in game one against Medvedev.
Kecmanovic holds for 7-6, then a big forehand takes control of the next point, Sinner swats a backhand, he leaves it … and it’s long! MIOMIR KECMANOVIC LEADS JANNIK SINNER, THE DEFENDING CHAMPION, BY TWO SETS TO ONE! WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON?!
Naomi Osaka makes a very stylish entrance
What a brilliant, brilliant woman. Osaka is already a superstar, but if she can just assert herself at the very top once more, she’ll go stratospheric.
Oh my days! An absurd rally doth ensue, Sinner in control, but then Kecmanovic gets back a drop, the return lob isn’t high enough, and a backhand overhead allows him to eventually secure the point from there. This is terrific stuff and we’re now at 6-6.
Well you’ll have to wait a while longer because Sinner has just overhit a backhand down the line – how rarely do we see that? – and he’s down 4-5. Of course, he then nails a forehand to level us up again, back it up with an ace, and Kecmanovic must now serve at 5-6 down .
Of course, what you’re really wondering is what did Osaka wear on to court. Are you ready?
Sinner immediately nabs a mini-break, but Kecmanovic really fancies this – I wonder if what happened in Paris has removed his aura of invincibility, for himself as well as his opponents, and we’re back level at 3-3.
Naomi Osaka is now on court, so we’ll scrub Fonseca – sorry, Joao – and get to her. She doesn’t love grass because she rarely comes to net, but she played really well in Paris and is always brilliant to watch.
Sinner is another with a nasty first-round draw, and he’s serving for a third-set breaker against Kecmanovic … holding to 15. This is about to get very interesting.
Michael Zheng, a 22-year-old American, has just taken the fourth set off Norrie 6-3; they’ll now play a decider.
Hubert Hurkacz beats Casper Ruud (11) 6-4 6-2 7-6(7)
An extremely unshocking shock, the grass-court specialist beating the clay man in straights. Next for him: Medjedovic or Ofner.
I’m sad to see Rublev go so early. Roman Safiullin was a brutal first-round draw and deserved his win, but Rublev is a lovely bloke with a lot of talent; I’m beginning to fear his struggles with the mental side will prevent him from developing into the player we hoped.
Jelena Ostapenko beats Harriet Dart 6-3 3-6 6-4
That was a belter of a tussle, but the favourite beats the brit and meets Ruzic or Semenistaja next.
Of course I’ve got Sinner 4-6 6-3 4-5 Kecmanovic on my main screen, and we’ll also go with Cilic v Medvedev (8), soon to get under way on No 1. Then, on laptop and phone, we’ll take in Zheng 6-7 6-2 6-7 5-2 Norrie and Bautista Agut 6-7 2-3 Fonseca. I realise those are uniformly men’s matches, but they’re the best we’ve got on court currently, and as soon as that changes, so will we.
Thanks Billy and Happy Fortnight everyone. Now, which matches to watch…
Daniel Harris is here to guide you through the remainder of this one.
Sinner 4-6, 6-3, 4-4 Kecmanovic (*denotes server): Sinner has some sort of problem with his left foot, with what looks like blood oozing out of his shoe. Nevertheless, he holds serve as we enter the business end of the third set.
More women’s singles results:
M Sawangkaew (Tha) bt M Chwalinska (Pol, 20) 2-6, 7-5, 6-2
Wang X (Chn) bt E Cocciaretto (It) 6-3, 2-6, 6-2
T Maria (Ger) bt Y Putintseva (Kaz) 6-4, 6-4
Z Sonmez (Tur) bt A Li (US, 28) 7-5, 1-6, 6-4
The shock French Open finalist, Maja Chwalinska, is out.
Sinner* 4-6, 6-3, 3-4 Kecmanovic (*denotes server): Another slip from Sinner costs him on break point on the Kecmanovic serve, with a backhand down the line going awry. Kecmanovic gets the advantage and seals the game after Sinner crashes one into the net. Big hold from the Serbian.
Sinner holds at 3-3 in the third. Some more results …
Men’s singles:
T Paul (US, 21) bt A Muller (Fr) 6-1, 6-2, 6-1
I Buse (Per, 31) bt E Nava (US) 7-6 (3), 3-6, 7-5, 6-0
M Damm (US) bt M Trungelliti (Arg) 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5)
B van de Zandschulp (Neth) bt A Kovacevic (US) 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 6-0
D Merida (Sp) bt C Ugo Carabelli (Arg) 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 3-0 ret
R Safiullin bt A Rublev (12) 6-4, 6-7 (6), 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (12)
L Tien (US, 16) bt D Svrcina (Cz) 6-1, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-3
Andriy Rublev is the first seed to go out in the men’s draw.
Elsewhere, Cam Norrie has won the third set on a tiebreak against Michael Zheng on No 2 Court (7-6, 2-6, 7-6, 0-0) and Harriet Dart is giving Jelena Ostapenko a run for her money on No 1 Court after winning the second set 6-3 to level things up. It’s 4-3 Ostapenko on serve in the third.
Sinner* 4-6, 6-3, 2-3 Kecmanovic (*denotes server): Sinner plays on after that fall and saves a game point on the Kecmanovic serve. The Serbian holds his nerve and his serve with a smash at the net. Sinner isn’t moving totally freely but doesn’t feel the need to call the trainer as both players head back to their seats.
Everybody on Centre Court has their heart in their mouths as Jannik Sinner is wrongfooted and is sent sprawling on the baseline, his left leg folding unnaturally underneath him. Both he and Miomir Kecmanovic have been holding their serve in the third set.
Lime bikes and Uber swelling early queue numbers at Wimbledon
Emine Sinmaz and Rachel Hall have been checking out the queue at Wimbledon Park on the first day of the championships …
There were already 10,000 people in the Wimbledon queue by 8.30am on the first day of the Championships, with some fans having joined the line on Saturday morning.
The AELTC chief executive, Sally Bolton, said the queue had become increasingly popular because fans have more travel options and don’t need to rely on the tube.
“We are advising people if they haven’t already set off to travel, not to travel because the queue is effectively full,” she told journalists on Monday morning.
“I think back to that period post-Covid where we were somewhat nervous that the queue might die, and, ironically, the queue has become increasingly popular over that period of time.
“But also, the way people travel and engage with things has also changed. For those of you that have queued, you will know that the time you used to have to arrive was the first tube into Southfields. But now with the availability of Lime, and other available branded bikes, people can get to the queue much more easily from slightly further away rather than waiting for the first tubes.”
On Monday queue-goers told the Guardian they had scoured social media for hacks on when to arrive to secure their spots – and insisted the hours-long wait was part of the fun.
Daria Wenger drove from Beckenham to arrive in the queue at 2am on Monday. She slept with her husband and son in a tent. “The weather was kind to us, not raining, not too hot,” she said. “It takes time, but it’s fun. It’s additional entertainment.”
Lily and Kai Cheng flew in from New York, arriving at 6pm on Sunday. They stayed in a hotel and booked an Uber to arrive at 5am after consulting ChatGPT for advice.
“There were already 5,000 people ahead of us,” said Lily. “We’re New Yorkers. We don’t like standing in queues for too long, but this has been so pleasant. It’s so organised.”
The pair are big tennis fans and Wimbledon has been on their bucket list for over a decade.
“Wimbledon is more fair for people who really want to watch tennis. The US Open is about who has the most money, who can pay the highest price for that little ticket,” said Kai.
Their friend Fatima Hussein had taken an Uber 11 miles from Purley in Surrey to join them. She attended 12 years ago, when she had been able to access the ground by arriving at 11am.
Renee Sang and Joshua Sodergren came by Uber from Crystal Palace at 4am and obtained their ground passes just before noon.
“It’s been lovely. I feel like this is the most orderly queue. It’s just very well structured. I thought we’d be roughing it more, but there’s bathrooms,” said Sang.
The pair turned to social media to plan their visit, and arrived half an hour earlier than planned, based on advice shared on Reddit. Their one disappointment was missing Emma Raducanu, who pulled out of Wimbledon on Sunday due to a leg injury. “It would have been nice to see a British star,” said Sodergren.
Nino Bianco, 44, from Luton, left his local hotel by Uber at 4am. “I just love the experience. The queue is like a ritual to get you into the mood,” he said. He changed approach, booking an Uber to join the queue before the first tube starts running after missing out on tickets two years ago.
Hannah Stuart and Rosie McGahn, both 26, arrived at 7pm to camp overnight on Sunday, after consulting TikTok for tips. They were handed out a number – were 2,200th in the queue – and pitched their tent for the night. “We got pizza and had a nice little time,” said Stuart. They were woken up by stewards at 5am, and rejoined the queue. “By 6am there was something like 8,000 people,” she added.
Bolton, who is standing down at the end of the Championships, said the club was having to adapt the way it operates the queue due to its popularity.
“We’ve got amazing matches, the sun is shining, you know all of those ingredients to make it so popular, but [the queue is] such an important part of what we do, so we’ll do everything we can to protect it.
“People are getting there earlier and earlier because they recognise that the dynamics of travel have changed a little bit so you do have to now get here really quite early to be at the front of the queue.”
Sinner 4-6, 6-3 1-1 Kecmanovic* (*denotes server): After a steady Kecmanovic hold at the start of the third set, Sinner responds with one of his own. Kecmanovic is spared on the first game point by a miscued drop shot from Sinner but he can’t get to the rapid first serve that follows.
Pegula hits out at four-year ban handed to Vondrousova for refusing anti-doping test
Jessica Pegula has slammed the four-year ban given to former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova for refusing an anti-doping test.
Vondrousova did not submit a sample when notified by a doping control officer during an out-of-competition test attempt at her home in December 2025.
The 27-year-old Czech, who won Wimbledon in 2023, claimed “months of physical and mental stress” affected her decision making, in addition to concerns for her safety.
Players are required to log their whereabouts for an allotted hour each day so that authorities can conduct anti-doping tests outside of competition.
Vondrousova’s ban has sparked debate in the tennis world, with Pegula hitting out at the decision after her Wimbledon first-round win against Darja Vidmanova on Monday.
“It’s just really unfortunate. I feel like for Marketa, I don’t know the ins and outs of exactly what happened, it seems like there’s a lot of ‘he said, she said’ kind of things going on right now,” Pegula said.
“But I just think for something like that, for four years, you’re ruining someone’s career over something that could have really just been a complete misunderstanding.
“I just don’t think that’s fair. I think the sentencing is so harsh.”
Vondrousova, who responded to the ban by insisting she “never doped”, is believed to be considering a potential appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
“I don’t know if she’s going to appeal it with Cas or what’s going on. I just think there has got to be a solution where we’re not just totally destroying someone’s career over something where she didn’t even test positive,” Pegula said. AFP
Well, that is pretty desparate news for Jack Draper, who has missed so much action in the last year with that arm injury. A recurrence of it now, on the eve of his match against Taylor Fritz, is a bitter blow. And it’s tough on British tennis too, with Emma Raducanu also pulling out the day before her first-round match with a stress fracture.
Sinner wins second set 6-3 against Kecmanovic
Sinner punishes another iffy Kecmanovic drop shot to start well. A looping return from the Serbian is also put away but a double fault at 30-0 just makes things interesting. A confident backhand down the line brings up set point and an ace seals the deal.
One set all – Kecmanovic won the first 6-4, Sinner the second 6-3.
Sinner* 4-6, 5-3 Kecmanovic (*denotes server): Kecmanovic plops a drop shot into the net at 15-0 but recovers to force Sinner into an error on the baseline. He brings up game point with a smashed ace out wide and seals it with a backhand that just about clips the line. Sinner now serving for the second set.
Sinner 4-6, 5-2 Kecmanovic* (*denotes server): Meanwhile Kecmanovic pushes the Sinner serve to deuce and some consistent baseline hitting from the Italian forces an error to bring up game point. A tentative drop shot from Kecmanovic is punished and he is now serving to stay in the second set.
Jack Draper withdraws with recurring arm injury
Tumaini Carayol
Jack Draper has been forced to withdraw from Wimbledon after suffering a relapse of the arm injury that has sidelined him for much of the past.
Draper had been scheduled to compete in one of the most widely-discussed first round matches against the sixth seed, Taylor Fritz, on Tuesday. He had only just been returning from another injury layoff, with his appearance in Eastbourne last week marking his first tournament in two and a half months after struggling with knee tendonitis. Draper’s left arm injury, a bone bruise, had forced him off the tour for seven months between last July and February.
In a statement, Draper said: “Devastated to share that I have had to withdraw from my first round match due to a recurrence of my arm injury. 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 greater honour for a British player than playing at Wimbledon. I will continue to persevere through this. Thank you for the support!!”
Sinner* 4-6, 4-2 Kecmanovic (*denotes server): Sinner and Kecmanovic play out a varied rally of drop shots, lobs and volleys at 30-30 on the Serbian’s serve. Kecmanovic wins that but Sinner takes it to deuce with an unstoppable overhead. A shanked backhand from Sinner brings up game point and the Italian sends another return wide.
Brit watch: Cam Norrie has lost the second set on No 2 Court 6-2 to Michael Zheng of the US after winning the first 7-6. Harriet Dart is a break up against Jelena Ostapenko on No 1 Court, leading 2-5 in the second set after losing the first.
Sinner 4-6, 4-1 Kecmanovic* (*denotes server): An ace down the T brings up 30-0 for Sinner. He sends the next serve into Kecmanovic’s body and dispatches it on the return. The Italian seals the hold to love by stepping into the net and forcing an error.
Sinner* 4-6, 3-1 Kecmanovic (*denotes server): A wayward drifting drop shot from Sinner gives Kecmanovic three goes at game point. Sinner saves the first, scrambling to the net to whip a backhand across court, but sends a backhand long and Kecmanovic holds.