World No.1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner starts his Wimbledon title defence by surviving a five-set comeback against Miomir Kecmanovic. Playing on Centre Court on the tournament’s first day, Sinner drops the first set 4–6 and then faces additional trouble as the match becomes increasingly tight. Kecmanovic takes the third set in a tiebreak, with the score reaching 6–7(6), before Sinner regains control. The Italian responds with a 6–2 fourth set and then closes out the match 6–3 in the fifth, winning the overall contest 4–6, 6–3, 6–7(6), 6–2, 6–3 to reach the second round.
Multiple outlets describe the match as a scare for Sinner early in his campaign, noting it was his first competitive grass-court match of the season and that he needed to shake off rust after an earlier setback related to the French Open. By winning in five sets, Sinner keeps his championship bid alive and avoids an early exit that would have ended his title defence.
