Barbora Krejcikova Toughs It Out In Wimbledon Opener, Alexander Zverev Ousted
Krejcikova and Sinner advance at Wimbledon; Zverev and Pegula face early exits.
Defending champion Barbora Krejcikova came from a set down to win her Wimbledon opener on Tuesday, while men's top seed Jannik Sinner had an easy win against compatriot Luca Nardi in the searing London heat.
Day 2 at the All England Club saw high-profile exits as men's third seed Alexander Zverev and women's third seed Jessica Pegula were ousted from the grass-court major.
Novak Djokovic had to wait until the evening to make his return to Centre Court as he aims for a record 25th Grand Slam title.
Krejcikova arrived at Wimbledon with just six matches played in 2025 and was in serious trouble after losing the first set to Philippines star Alexandra Eala. The former rebounded, reduced her errors and won 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.
Since beating Italy's Jasmine Paolini in the 2024 final, Krejcikova has faced a challenging period. She was sidelined until May because of a back injury and was eliminated in the second round of the recent French Open.
Krejcikova withdrew from last week's Eastbourne Open before the quarters with a thigh issue.
'I was in a lot of pain in my back, and I didn't know how my career was going to go. I'm super happy and super excited that I can be here and play on such a great court. I was excited for this day, and before the match, I was counting every minute until the match started," Krejcikova said after the win.
Men's world no. 1 Sinner beat Nardi on Court 1. Unaffected by the scorching conditions, the former bagged a 6-4, 6-3, 6-0 victory over Nardi.
'I'm very happy to come back here to such a special place for me. Playing an Italian is very unfortunate, but one has to go through and luckily it was me," Sinner said after the match.
Sinner has won three of his past six Grand Slams but squandered a two-set lead and three match points against Carlos Alcaraz in June's French Open final.
Djokovic's Wimbledon campaign starts against France's Alexandre Muller, ranked 41 in the world. The former, who has reached every Wimbledon final in the last seven years, has just played Muller once, conceding just five games en route to the 2023 US Open title.
At 38, Djokovic knows time is running out as Alcaraz and Sinner dominate the men's game.
Djokovic has been tied with long-retired Margaret Court at 24 major singles titles for the last two years, but he believes his best opportunity for a historic 25th victory is at the All England Club.
Djokovic, who lost the past two Wimbledon finals to Alcaraz, aims to equal Roger Federer's record of eight men's titles at the All England Club.
Former US Open runner-up Pegula suffered a surprising loss to Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto, losing 6-2, 6-3 in less than an hour. She was followed out of the tournament by Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen.
Five-time major winner Iga Swiatek beat Russia's Polina Kudermetova 7-5, 6-1 and second seed Coco Gauff, fresh from her French Open win, prepared to face Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska.
Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, given a wildcard to compete, lost 6-3, 6-1 in an emotional farewell to United States 10th seed Emma Navarro.
In the men's draw, Zverev experienced his earliest major exit in six years, losing to France's Arthur Rinderknech in a five-set marathon that started on Monday evening.
Fifth-seed Taylor Fritz bagged a five-set victory over France's Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in a match that began on Day 1. British fourth seed Jack Draper advanced when Argentina's Sebastian Baez retired with the score at 6-2, 6-2, 2-1.
(With AFP Inputs)
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