Jannik Sinner Battles Through Injury to Begin Wimbledon Title Defence as Aryna Sabalenka Cruises

Posted : 29 June 2026

Defending champion Jannik Sinner overcame an injury scare and a determined challenge from Miomir Kecmanovic to begin his Wimbledon title defence with a hard-fought five-set victory on Monday, while world number one Aryna Sabalenka advanced comfortably in the women's draw.

Sinner recovered from a difficult position to defeat Kecmanovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-2, 6-3 after three hours and 28 minutes on Centre Court. The Italian found himself trailing by two sets to one before producing an impressive comeback to claim his first five-set victory in his last six matches that had gone the distance.

The 24-year-old's victory became even more remarkable after he injured his right foot during an awkward fall midway through the contest. The incident left his shoe stained with blood, and Sinner remained on the ground in visible pain before eventually continuing the match.

Despite the alarming sight, the world number one later downplayed the injury, explaining that the bleeding had come from a damaged toenail rather than a more serious issue. He said he was surprised officials allowed him to continue because his all-white outfit had become stained with blood, but insisted he would be fit for his second-round meeting with Portugal's Nuno Borges.

With two-time Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz absent because of a wrist injury sustained earlier this year, Sinner enters the tournament as the leading favourite to retain the title. The Italian is chasing a fifth Grand Slam crown and hopes to secure his first major championship since lifting the Wimbledon trophy last year.

His victory also represented an important response after an inconsistent start to the 2026 Grand Slam season. Sinner has yet to reach a major final this year and suffered an unexpected second-round exit at the French Open after surrendering a two-set advantage against Juan Manuel Cerundolo.

In the women's singles, top seed Aryna Sabalenka enjoyed a far less stressful opening match, needing just 65 minutes to defeat Serbian qualifier Teodora Kostovic 6-2, 6-3.

The Belarusian, already a four-time Grand Slam champion, is still seeking her first Wimbledon title and has never progressed to the final at the All England Club. She will next face American McCartney Kessler, who recorded a dominant 6-0, 6-0 victory over Ukraine's Oleksandra Oliynykova in only 40 minutes.

Sabalenka expressed her delight at returning to Wimbledon, describing it as one of the most special venues in tennis and saying she was excited to compete again on its famous courts.

Elsewhere, French Open finalist Maja Chwalinska suffered one of the day's biggest upsets after losing to Thailand's Mananchaya Sawangkaew. The Polish 20th seed claimed the opening set but faded as the world number 164 rallied to win 2-6, 7-5, 6-2, with Chwalinska also struggling with an injury late in the match.

Former world number one Naomi Osaka attracted attention before even striking a ball by arriving on court in a kimono-inspired ceremonial outfit that complied with Wimbledon's traditional all-white dress code. The four-time Grand Slam champion then backed up her stylish entrance with a straight-sets victory over France's Elsa Jacquemot.

Seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic was scheduled to begin his latest title challenge against China's Wu Yibing as the Serbian pursued a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam singles title. Victory this year would also make the 39-year-old the oldest men's Grand Slam champion of the Open Era.

The opening day also featured several notable exits. Three-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud was eliminated in straight sets by Poland's Hubert Hurkacz, while 12th seed Andrey Rublev lost an all-Russian five-set contest to Roman Safiullin.

American fourth seed Jessica Pegula avoided any early drama, defeating Darja Vidmanova 7-5, 6-3 to secure her place in the second round.

Jannik Sinner Battles Through Injury to Begin Wimbledon Title Defence as Aryna Sabalenka Cruises

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