Jannik Sinner secured a second-round match against fellow Italian and 2021 Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini.
In his Wimbledon opener on Monday, Jannik Sinner battled through a mid-match slump to overcome Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann, setting the stage for an all-Italian second-round encounter with 2021 finalist Matteo Berrettini. Sinner, ranked as the top Italian player, won the match 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in just under three hours on Court No. 1, but acknowledged the need to elevate his game for future rounds.
“He played very well, serving strong, and I missed a few crucial shots,” Sinner said. “First-round matches are always tough, and I’ll need to step up my game for the next round. I have a day off, and I need to find my rhythm.”
Initially, Sinner seemed set for a straightforward win after taking the first two sets. However, Hanfmann quickly gained a 4-0 lead in the third set, eventually winning it 6-3 before the court’s roof was closed. Sinner, who claimed his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open earlier this year, regained his composure, breaking Hanfmann’s serve in the fourth game of the final set and clinching the match with a powerful backhand on his second match point. Sinner tallied 47 winners against 30 unforced errors.
During the on-court interview, Sinner reflected on the experience of competing as the new world number one. “It’s a tremendous honor and privilege to be in this position, and there’s no better place to compete as world number one,” he stated. “It’s an incredible feeling, but each match starts at zero, and every opponent is eager to win, just like I am. All matches are of a very high standard, which is exactly what the audience wants to see.”
‘Heartbroken’
Two-time Wimbledon semi-finalist Aryna Sabalenka, currently ranked third in the world, is among eight players who have withdrawn since the draw. Sabalenka admitted she wasn’t fully fit after sustaining a shoulder injury at the Berlin Open.
“It breaks my heart to announce that I won’t be able to compete at the Championships this year,” Sabalenka, 26, shared on X.
China’s world number eight, Zheng Qinwen, the Australian Open runner-up, was the day’s biggest upset, bowing out in the first round for the second consecutive year. Zheng was defeated 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 by New Zealand qualifier Lulu Sun, who celebrated her first Grand Slam match victory.
Sabalenka and Zheng were potential semi-final opponents for US Open champion and world number two Coco Gauff, who breezed past fellow American Caroline Dolehide 6-1, 6-2.
Former world number one Naomi Osaka earned her first Wimbledon victory since 2018 by coming back from a set down to defeat France’s Diane Parry 6-1, 1-6, 6-4. Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, struck 34 winners in the match, which concluded with Parry’s 10th double fault.
Osaka’s win was particularly meaningful, as it came just a day before her daughter Shai’s first birthday. “It feels like a dream because I haven’t played here often,” said Osaka, whose last appearance at Wimbledon was in 2019, where she exited in the first round.
In the men’s draw, Russia’s fifth seed Daniil Medvedev, a semi-finalist last year, served 16 aces in his 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory over American Aleksandar Kovacevic.
