Alcaraz survives Wimbledon scare, Sabalenka serene, but others feel the heat
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - June 30, 2025 Madison Keys of the U.S. in action during her first round match against Romania's Elena-Gabriela Ruse REUTERS/Isabel Infantes
Jun 30, 2025; Wimbledon, United Kingdom; Aryna Sabalenka hits a backhand against Carson Branstine (CAN) (not pictured) on day one of The Championships, Wimbledon 2025 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images REUTERS
Jun 30, 2025; Wimbledon, United Kingdom; Aryna Sabalenka serves against Carson Branstine (CAN) (not pictured) on day one of The Championships, Wimbledon 2025 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images REUTERS
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - June 30, 2025 Britain's Oliver Tarvet celebrates after winning his first round match against Switzerland's Leandro Riedi REUTERS/Isabel Infantes TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - June 30, 2025 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz reacts during his first round match against Italy's Fabio Fognini REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - June 30, 2025 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates winning his first round match against Italy's Fabio Fognini REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq
LONDON - Carlos Alcaraz survived Wimbledon's hottest-ever opening day although the Spaniard was far from his sizzling best as he began his quest for a hat-trick of titles with a big scare against Fabio Fognini at the All England Club on Monday.
With air temperatures soaring to 32 degrees Celsius, Alcaraz needed more than four hours to subdue veteran Fognini, winning 7-5 6-7(5) 7-5 2-6 6-1 -- the last set interrupted after a spectator became unwell in the heat and required assistance.
Women's top seed Aryna Sabalenka, bidding to win Wimbledon for the first time, had no such trouble as she dispatched Canadian qualifier Carson Branstine 6-1 7-5.
While five-times Grand Slam champion Alcaraz, who won the Queen's Club title in the build-up, lives to fight another day, several high-profile players departed the men's draw.
No arena at Wimbledon gets as hot as bowl-like Court Two and the conditions were clearly not to the liking of ex-world number one Daniil Medvedev as the ninth seed saw his hopes scorched by Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi, who won 7-6(2) 3-6 7-6(3) 6-2.
Eighth seed Holger Rune of Denmark, yet to really make his mark at a Grand Slam, won the opening two sets against Chilean qualifier Nicolas Jarry but succumbed 4-6 4-6 7-5 6-3 6-4.
Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas, twice a Grand Slam runner-up was left despondent after retiring with a back injury having fallen two sets behind against French qualifier Valentin Royer.
WINNING STREAK
Only two defending men's champions had ever lost in the first round at Wimbledon, but there were moments when Alcaraz looked in danger of joining compatriot Manuel Santana on that short list as Fognini rolled back the years.
Alcaraz arrived at Wimbledon on an 18-match winning streak, which included a spellbinding French Open final win over Jannik Sinner. But the spark was missing on Monday in front of a Centre Court crowd that included David Beckham.
Heat is second nature to Alcaraz, but it was Fognini who flourished in the sun and when he broke serve twice to level the match at two sets apiece a massive shock looked possible.
But Alcaraz, regularly using an ice towel to cool down, found an extra gear in the decider and even charmed the crowd by offering his water bottle to the distressed fan.
He then led the warm applause for former top-10 player Fognini, for whom this was his final Wimbledon.
"I don't know why it's his last Wimbledon because the level he has shown, you know, he can still play three or four more years. It's unbelievable," Alcaraz said of Fognini.
Next up for Alcaraz is British qualifier Oliver Tarvet who marked his Grand Slam main draw debut with a superb 6-4 6-4 6-4 defeat of fellow qualifier Leandro Riedi of Switzerland.
Tarvet is one of 23 British players in the singles draw, the most since 1984. The home charge was led Sonay Kartal who upset 20th seed and former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko 7-5 2-6 6-2. She was joined in round two by British number one Emma Raducanu who comfortably passed a tricky test against Mingge Xu, one of three British teenaged wild cards to play on Monday.
Home hope Jacob Fearnley could not follow suit though as he was outshone 6-4 6-1 7-6(5) by Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca, who showed why he is creating such a stir with some carnival tennis on a steamy Court One.
TOUGH WORKOUT
World number one Sabalenka won the opening five games against part-time model Branstine but was given a far tougher workout after that as she moved into round two.
The 27-year-old from Minsk missed last year's event because of a shoulder injury and arrived this time with a point to prove after losing in the Australian and French Open finals this year.
Several other women's contenders sparkled in the sunshine, none more than 13th seeded American Amanda Anisimova who served up a dreaded 'double-bagel' 6-0 6-0 defeat to Yulia Putintseva.
Ukraine's Elina Svitolina beat Anna Boindar in straight sets while 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova continued her return to form by knocking out American 30th seed McCartney Kessler.
Australian Open champion Madison Keys, seeded sixth, battled for two hours and 41 minutes to beat Romania's Elena Ruse and played down the impact of the heat.
"I think it's funny coming from the States, because this is quite literally a very typical summer day," she said.
There was a sad end for Tunisia's twice runner-up Ons Jabeur though as she retired from her first-round match against Viktoriya Tomova because of illness. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
19 minutes ago
- Straits Times
UEFA to permit water bottles for Women's Euro fans as Swiss temperatures soar
BASEL - Fans will be allowed to bring bottles of water to the stadium for some of the games at the Women's European Championship, which gets underway on Wednesday, as a heatwave has sent temperatures in Switzerland to over 30 degrees Celsius (86°F). European soccer governing body UEFA said on Tuesday that the normally strict security rules would be relaxed to allow fans attending matches on the first two days (July 2 and 3) of Euro 2025 to bring a half-litre plastic or aluminium water bottle into the stadium. No glass bottles will be allowed. The usual conditions attached to Euro 2025 tickets state that no "bottles, jugs or cans of any kind, as well as other objects made from plastic, glass or any other fragile materials" may be brought into any of the stadiums, with exceptions made for medical containers. According to meteorological service MeteoSwiss, the temperature in Basel is expected to reach 35 degrees ahead of Switzerland's opening game against Norway on Wednesday evening, with similar temperatures expected throughout the country. "We want you to feel safe during Women's EURO so you can enjoy your tournament experience to the max even when high temperatures hit," UEFA said in a statement on their website advising fans to stay in the shade and to keep themselves hydrated. UEFA competition rules also allow for cooling breaks during the games if temperatures are above 35 degrees Celsius, with referees also allowed to use their discretion. The four games that fans will be allowed to bring water bottles to are Iceland v Finland (July 2, Thun), Switzerland v Norway (July 2, Basel), Belgium v Italy (July 3, Sion) and Spain v Portugal (July 3, Bern). REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Asia News Network
an hour ago
- Asia News Network
Philippine tennis star Alex Eala primed for more success after first WTA final, says Rafael Nadal
June 30, 2025 MANILA – Tennis legend Rafa Nadal believes Alex Eala is just getting started following her runner-up finish at the Lexus Eastbourne Open on Saturday night. Nadal, the 22-time Grand Slam champion, celebrated Eala's historic feat after becoming the first Filipino to reach a WTA final despite falling to Maya Joint of Australia, 4-6, 6-1, 6(10)-7. 'The first final of many finals, [Alex Eala]👏🏼,' wrote Nadal on X while reposting a video of Eala's emotional post-match speech. The Rafa Nadal Academy also congratulated its rising alumna, who worked her way to the final after entering the WTA 250 event as a qualifier. 'We are so proud of you! Amazing tournament,' the Academy wrote. The 20-year-old Eala, who squandered four championship points in the tiebreak, believes the painful defeat only pushes her to be better. 'Thank you everyone for the love. This has to be one of the toughest losses of my early career, but I firmly believe that it's these moments that make you stronger and shape your character,' she said. Eala tries to move on from the loss when she makes her Wimbledon main draw debut on Tuesday against defending champion Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic. 'Though I'm so happy with the positive week, it's full speed ahead to Wimbledon. I have a date with Centre Court,' she said.
Independent Singapore
2 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
'Who's currently the best player in the WTA and ATP who has not won a Grand Slam yet?' Redditor asks
The 2025 Grand Slam season has been thrilling and exciting so far for the tennis community. Wimbledon has already started in London, and fans are anticipating more exceptional performances from top athletes from Jun 30 to Jul 13. With this, a Redditor was curious and started a discussion on Reddit with a question: 'Who's Currently The Best Player In The WTA And ATP Not Have [sic] Won A Grand Slam Yet?' The Redditor remarked: 'For the WTA, I think it's Jessica Pegula. She's been so good for a while now and just hasn't gotten over the hump. She got to her first GS final last year at the US Open and gave Sabalenka all she could handle. Pegula just won Homburg, and I think she has a solid chance of winning either Wimbledon or the US Open.' 'For the ATP, I think it's Alex Zverev. He's gotten to 3 GS finals and just hasn't gotten over the hump. He just lost to Jannik in this years Australian Open, so he's getting close again. It's going to be tough for him, though, with Jannik and Carlos still yet to be in their primes, while he doesn't have much upside left. His physical and talent give him a chance, though, and he's the best guy capable of stealing a GS if Jannik and Carlos have off days.' A few Redditors agreed that Zverev has a lot of potential, although he has not won a Grand Slam yet. One commented: 'From the ATP, as others have said, Zverev. No question. As high as world number 2, consistently up there, three slam finals and still nothing… Kei Nishikori deserves an honourable mention, also former top four and slam finalist but not to Zverev's extent.' Another Redditor stated: 'Zverev isn't just the best active player not to have won a grand slam, he's the best non-slam winning player of all time.' When it came to women's tennis players, fans mentioned a few who have been performing well but haven't won a Gram Slam yet. A Redditor commented: 'I think Pegula is obvious based on rankings, but Svitolina deserves a shout out for how high her level has been over a long, long period without quite getting over the line. It's interesting because she had successs in grand slams with a more counter punching style, and then, since she's had a kid, her style has been much more aggressive and proactive, which has also led to some good results but not quite enough to make that next leap… I think there was a couple-year stretch where Jabeur looked like a lock to be a grand slam champion, and her recent downturn in form is a very sad reminder of how quickly things can change for the worse as a professional tennis player.' More Redditors said: 'On the WTA side, it's not Pegula for me. Plíšková has a couple of slam finals and is a former world number one. Jabeur is a close second… If you were just going off pure ability rather than what they've proven in competition, Muchová. If not for injuries, I think she would have slams and been world number one at least once,' and 'Svitolina has 18 titles, 4 Masters, and 1 WTA Finals. She's not necessarily playing the best right now, but accolade-wise, she's one of the best not to win a GS… Pliskova is also still active, but I'm not sure if we can count her anymore.' The Grand Slams — the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open — are the four biggest tennis tournaments. Each is played on a different type of court, and athletes from all around the world compete for the most famous titles.
