Wimbledon 2026 day one summary

The opening day of Wimbledon 2026 didn’t quite have the buzz that grass-court tennis seemed to offer in the past, but there was plenty of drama, with defending champion Jannik Sinner surviving a huge scare on Center Court before eventually beating Miomir Kecmanovic in five sets.

Elsewhere, Novak Djokovic looked tough in his opener against Yibing Wu before winning in four sets, while Andrey Rublev became the top seed to fall after a five-set defeat to Roman Safiullin, who saved two match points in a dramatic deciding set tie-break.

It was also a miserable start for the home team. British hopes had already taken a major hit before a ball was struck following Jack Draper’s withdrawal from the Championships, and matters only worsened on court as Cameron Norrie suffered a shock five-set defeat to qualifier Michael Zheng. Felix Gill, Max Basing and Oliver Tarvet also dropped out.

A total of 10 British players exited the men’s and women’s singles draws on Monday (while taking home a combined £800,000 before tax), which already leaves the domestic challenge, but somewhat expectedly, looking significantly thinner.

Play eventually ended with two first-round matches still unfinished. Brandon Nakashima’s clash with British wildcard Jack Pinnington Jones and the encounter between Jesper de Jong and Rinky Hijikata were both suspended due to fading light and will resume on Tuesday.

Day One Wimbledon 2026 Round of 128 Results

Key Match Recap

Jannik Sinner def. Miomir Kecmanovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-3 (3h 29m)

World No.1 Jannik Sinner needed five sets to get past a fired-up Miomir Kecmanovic in a tense Center Court opener.

Serbia took the first set and pressed Sinner hard, especially after Sinner had a worrying slip and fall at 2-2 in the third set but avoided any serious damage.

Sinner admitted he felt tight in his first official grass court match of the year after a long layoff after Roland Garros. He hit 52 unforced errors but found his rhythm in the later sets to close it out.

Is it just a rusty start, or does the Italian now look unbeatable after looking invincible for the first half of the season? Today’s greens may not be like the old ones, but in the first week they are still pretty slick and many of these robotic players struggle to move on them.

Next up: Portugal’s Nuno Borges. It was a cruel escape rather than a statement, but the champion is done.

I had my chances in the third set. I couldn’t use them… I tried to stay there mentally, and also tried to enjoy the moment because it’s been a great day for me and my team… To come here and open the match on Center Court, it’s a great privilege. A fall is tough because you can get hurt… Grass pitches are like this. Especially in the first couple of matches, when the grass is very new, you slip a little more. I was lucky there… I’m very glad nothing happened Sensing his win in the first round.

Roman Safiullin def. Andrey Rublev (12) 6-4, 6-7(6), 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(12) (3h 58m)

Roman Safiullin saved two match points in a tie-break in the marathon final to knock out 12th seed Andrey Rublev.

I had Rublev going pretty far at SW19, but Safiullin has played well at Wimbledon in the past, so while it’s an upset, we know Andrey can stumble early when he runs into the wrong kind of opponent.

Novak Djokovic def. Wu Yibing 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 (3h 11m)

Djokovic’s 21st Wimbledon started in the sunshine but ended under the Center Court roof in an entertaining evening match that looked set to go to five sets.

Wu played fearlessly, hammering forehands and delighting the Pimms-fueled crowd who responded with plenty of “Wuuuuuu” chants.

Djokovic showed his trademark ability, saving several break points in the fourth set and improving to 21-0 in Wimbledon first rounds.

But he didn’t look good, stretching his whole body between points, and it didn’t look like his legs were in sync with his mind.

Had it not been for Wu committing two disastrous mistakes in the final game, including a fairly routine overhead on match point, it could have been a Tuesday finish for Djokovic as the 11pm curfew would likely have come into force had the Chinese forced a deciding set.

Anyway, he is done and will face Stefanos Tsitsipas next.

Michael Zheng (Q) def. Cameron Norrie [26] 6-7(7), 6-2, 6-7(2), 6-3, 7-6(10-4) (4h+)

Qualifier Michael Zheng produced the performance of his career to beat British No. 1 Cameron Norrie on No. 2 court. The 22-year-old American fired 21 aces, stayed mentally strong through several tie-breaks and sealed it in a match tie-break. Norrie’s Wimbledon run ends early again.

Other notable matches

Daniel Medvedev [8] def. Marin Cilic 6-1, 6-2, 6-4: Clinical and controlled from Medvedev on No. 1 Court. He barely put a foot wrong in what most assumed could be a tricky opener against the former Wimbledon finalist.

Hubert Hurkacz def. Casper Ruud (11) 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(7): The former semi-finalist looked dangerous on grass and dispatched the Norwegian in straight sets. Ruud shows zero interest in grass, which is pretty lame considering it’s the cleanest surface around.

Joao Fonseca def. Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6(4), 6-4, 6-3: The 19-year-old Brazilian talent (fresh from a Roland Garros quarter-final) impressed in straight sets against the grass-rooted Spaniard. This was likely Bautista Agut’s last Wimbledon appearance before retirement.

Rafael Jodar def. Felix Gill (WC) 6-3, 6-3, 7-5: The 19-year-old Spaniard (23rd seed) made a confident tour-level grass debut, winning in straight sets against the British wildcard. One to watch.

Tommy Paul (21) def. Alexandre Muller 6-1, 6-2, 6-1: Dominant and efficient from the American who should be keen to go deep.

Stefanos Tsitsipas def. Hugo Gaston 6-1, 6-4, 6-2: Comfortable straight sets victory for the Greek who has split with his father as coach. Probably required if he has any ambitions to return to the top.

Nuno Borges def. Tristan Boyer 6-3, 7-5, 7-5: Sets up an exciting second round clash with Sinner.

Highlights

Wimbledon 2026 Day 2 Round of 128 matches