22 days after the French Open drew to a close, the quick transition from clay to grass is in full swing as the opening day of Wimbledon commenced at the All England Club. The grass surface has historically boded well for the Australian contingent as they aim to stamp their mark on the tournament, with five Aussies to choose from overnight. As for the top seeds, there were no significant upsets to catch the surprise of the locals - a positive first outing for the world's best to settle in and brush off the rust. Aussie Results:
Casper Ruud [8] d. Alex Bolt [Q] 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-4 Jordan Thompson d. Pavel Kotov 5-7, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 Aleksandar Vukic d. Sebastian Ofner 6-7(9), 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(8) Otto Virtanen d. Max Purcell 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 Daria Saville d. Peyton Stearns 6-4, 6-2 South Australian feel-good story Alex Bolt wasn't even supposed to be part of the qualifying draw last week until a late withdrawal handed him 10 minutes to change into his whites and ride an extraordinary wave, coming back from two-sets-to-love down in the final round. A completely different proposition posed itself in the form of three-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud in the main draw, going down in a valiant effort. The 31-year-old Aussie will be left ruing a golden chance to break Ruud at 0-40 in the opening set as the Norwegian wrestled total control of the tiebreak in what was Bolt's first breaker in 2024. Midway through the second set, three consecutive breaks of serve benefited Ruud in a hectic period to continue with the momentum and cement his ticket to the second round. It was better news for Jordan Thompson who completed a mammoth comeback from two sets down on the outside courts. Only registering three wins in eight games on clay in 2024, the Sydneysider looked far more comfortable in the latter stages of the contest to find consistency on serve - firing 14 aces to claim one of the biggest scalps of his career. Aleksander Vukic’s brilliant year rolls on, as the new world No.64 survived a five-set epic to hobble over the line in a super tiebreak. Set points unable to be taken advantage of didn’t rattle the Aussie, composing himself to take the next two sets before ultimately regaining momentum in the dying stages where he will now face Carlos Alcaraz next. The only Australian representative on the women’s side, Daria Saville took care of business against America’s Peyton Stearns, setting up a winnable date with 18th seed Marta Kostyuk. Men's Results: Carlos Alcaraz [3] d. Mark Lajal 7-6(3), 7-5, 6-2 Jannik Sinner [1] d. Yannick Hanfmann 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 Daniil Medvedev [5] d. Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 Grigor Dimitrov [10] d. Dusan Lajović 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 Frances Tiafoe [29] d. Matteo Arnaldi 6-7(5), 2-6, 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 Denis Shapovalov d. Nicolás Jarry [19] 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 Brandon Nakashima d. Sebastian Baez [18] 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 Zhang Zhizhen [32] d. Maxime Janvier 7-6(4), 6-3, 6-2 Matteo Berrettini d. Márton Fucsovics 7-6(3), 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 Fabio Fognini d. Luca Van Assche 6-1, 6-3, 7-5 Stan Wawrinka d. Charles Broom 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 Juncheng Shang d. Cristian Garín 7-5, 6-4, 6-4 Borna Ćorić d. Felipe Alves 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-3 Jan-Lennard Struff d. Fábián Marozsán 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-3 Alexandre Müller d. Hugo Gaston 6-4, 7-6(2), 7-6(5) Gaël Monfils d. Adrian Mannarino 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 Arthur Cazaux d. Zizou Bergs 6-1, 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-7(4), 7-6(8) Lloyd Harris d. Alex Michelsen 3-6, 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-2, 7-6(9) Daniel Altmaier d. Arthur Fery 4-6, 7-6(6), 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 Miomir Keckanović d. Sumit nagal 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 Tommy Paul [12] d. Pedro Martinez 6-2, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 Ugo Humbert [16] d. Alexander Shevchenko 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-7(3), 6-1 Talloon Griekspoor [27] d. Daniel Galán 7-6(3), 6-3, 6-4 Lorenzo Sonego d. Mariano Navone [31] 6-4, 7-6(2), 6-4 Roberto Bautista Agut d. Maximilian Marterer 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 Botic van de Zandschulp d. Liam Broady 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 Alexander Bublik d. Jakub Menšík 4-6, 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz began his title defence on centre court not without a scare as he maneuvered his way past a tricky opening round opponent in Estonia's Mark Lajal - rocking with a unique hairstyle capable of influencing the next generation. A first set tiebreak had to separate the pair, resulting in the Spaniard coming out on top largely down to fewer errors as the differential in experience proved glaring. Alcaraz broke serve at 5-5 in the second set, racing to the finish line like a freight train in a real test, but a much-welcomed one. His main rival in the top half of the draw, Jannik Sinner, overcame a slight blip in the third set to beat powerful German Yannick Hanfmann, surprisingly scheduled outside of centre court. An enticing second round clash involving the world No.1 is now booked in with fellow Italian and 2021 Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini, as the injury-riddled 28-year-old poses a threat to any player in the world on grass. Always thereabouts in major tournaments, Daniil Medvedev and Grigor Dimitrov recorded straight-forward wins to conserve valuable energy and court time with sterner tests still to eventuate in the more challenging half of the draw. American Frances Tiafoe has been a shadow of himself in the past 12 months, but the 26-year-old fought tooth and nail to claim his first-ever triumph from two sets down in his career against Matteo Arnaldi, as the Italian lost rhythm and confidence on serve to end up with a 45 percent win rate on first serve. Perhaps the biggest shock of the day transpired on court 14 when Denis Shapovalov unexpectedly dismantled the big-serviná Chilean Nicolas Jarry in one hour and 55 minutes. Jarry, having reached the third round last year against Alcaraz and grabbed a set, seemed totally out of sorts against a rejuvenated Shapovalov who is slowly recapturing his form. There is an upset alert pending, as Ben Shelton finds himself two sets to one down against Mattia Bellucci with play suspended. Women's Results: Coco Gauff [2] d. Caroline Dolehide 6-1, 6-2 Jasmine Paolini [7] d. Sara Sorribes Tormo 7-5, 6-3 Maria Sakkari [9] d. Mccartney Kessler 6-3, 6-1 Daria Kasatkina [14] d. Shuai Zhang 6-3, 6-0 Marta Kostyuk [18] d. Rebecca Šramková 6-3, 6-2 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova [25] d. Taylor Townsend 7-6(4), 6-1 Dayana Yastremska [28] d. Nadia Podoroska 6-1, 7-6(1) Varvara Grachev d. Lesia Tsurenko 6-3, 6-1 Lin Zhu d. Irina-Camelia Begu 6-0, 6-4 Greet Minnen d. Heather Watson 7-5, 6-4 Anca Todoni d. Olga Danilović 7-5, 6-1 Arantxa Rus d. Yue Yuan 6-2, 6-3 Elise Mertens d. Nao Hibino 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 Y.F Wang d. Anna Schmiddlová 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 Diana Shnaider d. Karolína Plíšková 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 Erika Andreeva d. Emina Bektas 7-6(5) 3-6, 6-3 Clara Burel d. Eva Lys 6-2, 6-4 Naomi Osaka d. Diane Parry 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 Donna Vekic d. Wang Xiyu 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 Bianca Andreescu d. Jaqueline Cristian 6-4, 6-2 Paula Badosa d. Karolína Muchová 6-3, 6-2 Emma Navarro [19] d. Qiang Wang 6-0, 6-2 Lulu Sun d. Qinwen Zheng [8] 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 Linda Noskova [26] d. Sara Errani 7-6(3), 6–1 Madison Keys [12] d. Martina Trevisan 6-4, 7-6(4) Brenda Fruhvirtova d. Mirra Andreeva [24] 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 Sonay Kartal d. Sorana Cǐrstea 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 Yuriko Miyazaki d. Tamara Korpatsch 6-2, 6–1 Sloane Stephens d. Elsa Jacquemot 6-3, 6-3 Yulia Starodubtsewa d. Alison Van Uytvanck 6-4, 6-3 Emma Raducanu d. Renata Zarazúa 7-6(0), 6-3 The main spotlight belonged to US Open champion Coco Gauff in the evening session, making light work of American compatriot Caroline Dolehide in straight sets. A one-sided contest saw Gauff concede just eight points on serve, moving freely and sending a message of intent to the rest of the field. With the recent withdrawals of Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka due to shoulder injuries, the bottom half of the draw has opened up nicely for the 20-year-old. It has been nothing short of an abysmal preparation leading into Wimbledon for ninth seed Maria Sakkari, losing both grass court events in the first round, yet was able to bounce back in a crucial straight sets victory, dropping just 18 points on serve. Flying under the radar with little expectation, could the Greek star be set to better her record of three third round appearances at Wimbledon and make a deep run? The locals witnessed a positive opening day as three Brits - Emma Raducanu, Yuriko Miyazaki, and Sonay Kartal all advanced. Kartal, 22, was the story of the day, defeating Cǐtstea ranked 267 places above her to continue her rich vein of form after qualifying for the event. Former US Open finalist and 12th seed Madison Keys wrapped up a straight sets win and could be one to watch out for over the next fortnight to make a deep run. CATCH ALL THE ACTION ON STAN SPORT
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