Sinner Battles Past Kecmanovic in round 1 of Wimbledon title defence
London, June 29
Jannik Sinner started his Wimbledon title defence with a hard-fought win over Miomir Kecmanovic on Monday. Coming into the tournament after a surprise second-round exit at Roland Garros, Sinner beat Kecmanovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-7, 6-2, 6-3 in the first round at the All England Club, according to the ATP website.
He made 52 unforced errors and faced a real challenge, but recovered well to win after three hours and 30 minutes. Kecmanovic played strongly, especially in the third set, where he produced a standout rally in the tie-break. At 5-6 down, he pushed Sinner from side to side before rushing the net and forcing a diving shot, which brought the Centre Court crowd to its feet.
Sinner also slipped earlier in the set, landing awkwardly, but he was able to continue without medical treatment.
After reducing his errors and improving his play, Sinner took control in the final sets and finished the match strongly. He will now face Portugal's Nuno Borges in the second round.
The world No. 1 also equalled Nicola Pietrangeli's Italian record of 94 Grand Slam wins. He avoided becoming only the third defending men's champion to lose in the first round at Wimbledon.
After the match, Sinner said it was a great honour to begin the tournament and admitted he felt tight early on and did not play his best. He added that he tried to settle into the match, was pleased to turn things around, and described the third set as particularly difficult to handle.
"It's such a huge honour to start the tournament. I was a little tight in the beginning. I didn't play my very best, but I tried to get into it. It was my first official match on grass. I'm happy that I turned it around. The third set was a very tough one to swallow," Sinner said in his on-court interview as quoted by the ATP website.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Honestly, I was worried after the French Open exit, but Sinner showed real character here. Kecmanovic deserves credit for making it so competitive -- that fifth set could have gone either way! The way Sinner adjusted after the slip and reduced errors in the final two sets was impressive. Hope he goes deep this year. 🏆
Good win but Sinner needs to clean up those unforced errors if he wants to defend the title. Grass season is so short, and you can't afford slow starts. Kecmanovic played really well but couldn't sustain the momentum. The third-set tie-break rally was indeed 'standing ovation' worthy -- pure athleticism! 👏
That third-set slip looked scary! Glad he didn't need medical attention. This is what makes Sinner special -- even on a bad day, he finds a way. The mental toughness to say "the third set was tough to swallow" but still bounce back? Top class. Borges will be a test... let's see if Sinner can build on this. 🌱
Respect to both players -- Kecmanovic pushed the world No. 1 to five sets on Centre Court, and Sinner showed why he's the top seed. 94 Grand Slam wins is incredible company with Pietrangeli. I still think Sinner's game is suited for faster surfaces, so Wimbledon should suit him. Just needs to minimise those errors. Good match!
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