Wimbledon: Sinner survives scary fall, Kecmanovic in dramatic five-setter
London, June 29
World No.1 and 2025 winner Jannik Sinner overcame a scary fall and a resilient opponent to launch his Wimbledon title defence with a hard-fought victory, getting past his opponent in five sets in the opening round of men's singles at the All-England Club in London on Monday.
Playing his first match since his shock second-round exit at the Roland Garros, Sinner returned to winning ways by battling past Miomir Kecmanovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-3, despite spraying 52 unforced errors and briefly raising hopes of a huge upset. The Italian, however, dug deep to outlast the resilient Kecmanovic in three hours, 30 minutes, starting the proceedings at the Centre Court on the opening day.
"It's such a huge honour to start the tournament," Sinner said in his on-court interview. "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."
Kecmanovic produced an inspired display in the third set that featured an early contender for point of the tournament. Trailing 5/6 in the tie-break, the Serbian stretched Sinner from corner to corner before charging the net, forcing the Italian to dive to the turf and bringing the Centre Court crowd to its feet.
It was the second time in the set that Sinner had ended up on the grass. At 2-2, the 24-year-old suffered a worrying slip, landing awkwardly with his knees bent inwards. The fall drew gasps from the packed stands, but Sinner avoided the need for a medical timeout and quickly resumed play.
Having cut down on his unforced errors to force a deciding set, Sinner seized control of the match and raced to victory, bringing a convincing finish to a contest that had been anything but straightforward through the opening three sets.
After surviving a stern opening test, with David Beckham among those watching from the Royal Box, Sinner booked a second-round meeting with Portugal's Nuno Borges.
The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, Sinner has now won 94 matches at major tournaments, equalling Nicola Pietrangeli's record for the most among Italians.
Sinner was avoiding becoming just the third defending men's champion to lose in the first round at Wimbledon, but he fought back with a business-like performance that drew parallels with Carlos Alcaraz's opening match last year. The Spaniard overcame Fabio Fognini in a nervy five-set clash to get his title defence underway before surging to the final, where he was stopped by Sinner.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Kecmanovic really pushed him to the limit, that point in the third set tie-break was insane! Sinner's movement is something else though - to recover from that nasty knee bend and still win in five sets... kudos to his fitness team. As a tennis fan from India, I love watching these marathon matches on Centre Court.
Honestly, Sinner needs to clean up his game if he wants to defend the title. 52 errors against a qualifier is worrying, and you can't rely on comebacks every round. Grass is tricky no doubt, but Alcaraz and Djokovic will eat him alive if he serves like this (only 60% first serves in). Hope he improves before the second round. Just my two paise.
The way Kecmanovic played that third set, especially that point where he made Sinner dive... pure magic! But Sinner's mental strength is incredible - after losing a tight breaker, he came back and broke early in the fourth. That's why he's world No.1. And Beckham in the Royal Box? What a day at Wimbledon! 🇮🇳🎾
As a tennis coach in Mumbai, I tell my students that grass-court tennis is all about adapting quickly. Sinner showed exactly that today - first official match on grass and he adjusted after two sets. That dive in the third set shows his commitment. But seriously, 52 unforced errors? Needs to work on that before facing a top-10 player. Still, a win is a win! 💪
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.