Wimbledon 2026 began with Jannik Sinner surviving a five-set thriller against Miomir Kecmanović to start his title defence
Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev and Félix Auger-Aliassime advanced, while seeds Casper Ruud and Andrey Rublev crashed out
Hubert Hurkacz and qualifier Michael Zheng produced major Day 1 upsets over seeded opponents
The opening day of Wimbledon 2026 delivered plenty of drama as defending champion Jannik Sinner survived a major scare against Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic on Centre Court.
The world No. 1, carrying questions over his fitness after an early French Open exit, was pushed into a five-set battle before recovering to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-3.
Sinner's path to victory was far from smooth as he battled through a worrying fall during the third set and later appeared to be bleeding through his shoe.
However, the Italian regained his rhythm when it mattered most, producing a strong finish to secure his 94th Grand Slam match win and equal Italy's record held by Nicola Pietrangeli.
Seven-time champion Novak Djokovic also began his Wimbledon campaign with a hard-fought win over China's Wu Yibing, while Daniil Medvedev and Félix Auger-Aliassime moved into the second round comfortably.
However, the opening day also brought disappointment for several seeded players, with four names exiting the tournament early, including Casper Ruud and Andrey Rublev.
Wimbledon 2026 Round 1: Seeds Out On Day 1
Casper Ruud [11]
Andrey Rublev [12]
Luciano Darderi [14]
Cameron Norrie [26]
Wimbledon 2026 Gentlemen's Singles Day 1 Key Results
Jannik Sinner [1] beat Miomir Kecmanović 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(6-8), 6-2, 6-3
Novak Djokovic [7] beat Wu Yibing 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4
Daniil Medvedev [8] beat Marin Cilic 6-1, 6-2, 6-4
Michael Zheng [Q] beat Cameron Norrie [26] 6–7 (7–9), 6–2, 6–7(2–7), 6–3, 7–6 (10–4)
Felix Auger-Aliassime [3] beat Alexander Shevchenko 6-3, 6-1, 6-4
Rafael Jodar [23] beat Felix Gill [WC] 6-3, 6-3, 7-5
Hubert Hurkacz beat Casper Ruud [11] 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (9-7)
