The first Monday of Wimbledon 2026 will go down in tournament history. Rarely has an opening day produced so many unexpected results, played out under scorching heat on unforgiving grass.
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The survivors first. Jannik Sinner, the defending champion, scraped through against Miomir Kecmanović, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(6), 6-2, having dropped the first set and revealed a bloodied foot during the match. Novak Djokovic, the seventh seed, dispatched Wu Yibing 6-4, 7-5 without ever looking troubled. Félix Auger-Aliassime, seeded third, delivered the most convincing performance of the day, sweeping past Shevchenko 6-3, 6-1, 6-4.
On the women's side, Aryna Sabalenka, the top seed, dispatched Teodora Kostović 6-2, 6-3 in 64 minutes. The Belarusian rated her display "eight out of ten", a level she considered sufficient for the first round but with room for improvement. Coco Gauff, the seventh seed, recorded her first Wimbledon victory in two years, 6-4, 6-4, in just 54 minutes. Jessica Pegula, the fourth seed, came through 7-5, 6-3. Mirra Andreeva, the Roland Garros champion, handled Magda Linette to reach the second round.
Now the casualties, and the list is long. In the men's draw, Alexander Zverev, freshly crowned at Roland Garros, fell to Alexander Blockx. Ben Shelton lost to qualifier Otto Virtanen. Alex de Minaur, the fifth seed, was eliminated by Burruchaga. Taylor Fritz went down to lucky loser Dušan Lajović. Jack Draper could not even take the court, forced to withdraw with an arm injury.
In the women's draw, Iga Świątek, the defending champion, was upset by Taylor Townsend. Elena Rybakina, the world number one, fell to Loïs Boisson. Emma Raducanu was forced to pull out with a stress fracture.
Amid the storm, a few bright stories emerged. Thailand's Mananchaya Sawangkaew and Tararudee both won their opening matches, a first for their country at Wimbledon. Naomi Osaka, the fourteenth seed, advanced despite lingering fitness questions. Marin Cilic, competing in his sixteenth and possibly final Wimbledon, added an emotional layer to a day loaded with drama.
The draw is now wide open. Without Zverev, Shelton, Fritz, de Minaur, Świątek and Rybakina, the cards have been completely reshuffled for the rest of the fortnight.
