Carlos Alcaraz embarked on a promising start to his Wimbledon title defence, securing a straight-set triumph on Centre Court. The 21-year-old Spanish athlete, who holds this year’s third seed, logged a definitive win over Estonian newcomer Mark Lajal with a score of 7-6 (3) 7-5 6-2, a match that lasted two hours and 22 minutes. Lajal, also 21, who ranks 266 places beneath Alcaraz and was making his Wimbledon debut with distinctive pineapple-style dreadlocks.
Lajal initially threw Alcaraz off balance by breaking his serve early, but the three-time Grand Slam champion rebounded swiftly, securing victory and adding to his impressive record which includes titles from the US Open and French Open. “He certainly caught me off guard; I hadn’t observed much of his gameplay. Nevertheless, I’m ecstatic to progress, and it feels great to record my first win on Centre Court this year,” Alcaraz commented.
World’s top-ranked player, Jannik Sinner, another semifinal prospect for Alcaraz, also demonstrated his resolve. Despite dropping a set against Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann, he reestablished control to win the match. The 22-year-old Australian Open Grand Slam victor will go head to head with Matteo Berrettini, a fellow Italian, in a highly anticipated second-round match.
The fifth seed, Daniil Medvedev, enjoyed another victory at his preferred Wimbledon location, defeating American Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-3 6-4 6-2. The Russian player, who last year was bested by Alcaraz at the semi-finals on Centre Court, holds an undefeated record on Court One. “I’ve always performed well on Court One, and I sincerely hope to continue this trend. I recall mentioning last year before the semis how apprehensive I was about playing on Centre Court where I eventually suffered a loss,” he said.
“This year, fortune bestowed me the opportunity to practise on the Centre Court pre-tournament, providing me with a possible strategic advantage. However, at present, my aim is to savour my time on Court One, striving to secure a victory.”
In other news, Naomi Osaka marked her first triumphant match at Wimbledon in half a dozen years, as a flurry of top-profile withdrawals, led by Aryna Sabalenka, unsettled the lower half of the women’s draw. Sabalenka, along with fellow countrywoman Victoria Azarenka, announced their withdrawals within a few hours of each other, following the forced withdrawal of Emma Raducanu’s initial first round opponent Ekaterina Alexandrova due to illness.
Raducanu coasted through against fortunate fallback competitor Renata Zarazua, her win framed by fellow US Open victors Osaka and Coco Gauff, both indicating a strong start with decisive first-round victories.
Varvara Gracheva of France secured the first win at this year’s Championships with a 6-3 6-1 victory over Lesia Tsurenko at 12.11pm. She soon had company in the second round with ninth seed Maria Sakkari and Zhu Min notching up wins. Not long after these victories, Sabalenka revealed her withdrawal from the match due to a persisting shoulder complication known as teres major, severely impacting her serve.
Osaka, who has never managed to break into the fourth round at Wimbledon, is due to face 19th seed Emma Navarro next Wednesday. She feels her game has significantly improved three years following her last grand-slam triumph at the Australian Open.
Coco Gauff, who holds the world number two spot, poses as a potential fourth-round competitor for Osaka. Gauff shook off her disappointing early departure in 2023, trumping fellow American Caroline Dolehide on Centre Court with a swift 6-1 6-2 victory.