Ryan Peniston wasn’t dreaming but there were moments on Centre Court when it must have felt like he was. Not only was the 27-year-old British wildcard facing his childhood hero Andy Murray on the second day of Wimbledon, but Roger Federer was in the first row, sitting next to Kate Middleton. It was quite the sight: the king of Wimbledon and the future Queen, sharing jokes and engaging in almost constant conversation, the best of friends. Afterwards, Federer gave Murray’s straight-sets victory a royal seal of approval.
This was an impressively straight-forward afternoon for Murray, a welcome opener to shake off any nerves and loosen the limbs ahead of the sterner tests to come, but for Peniston this was a day he will never forget. Peniston was 17 when Murray won Wimbledon 10 years ago and undoubtedly would have played out this fantasy countless times growing up in Essex. Add in a legend of the sport and the Princess of Wales and it was like being transported into a different world. “It was amazing to have some royalty here,” Murray said. “But also some tennis royalty.”
To his credit, Peniston began and played as if there was a dream to be realised. Like a third-round FA Cup tie between Premier League and non-league opposition, there was an opening spell that carried intrigue as Peniston started hot and shot for the lines with nothing to lose. Murray, though, barely flinched: back for his 15th Wimbledon, he had seen all of this before. Playing in front of the Royal Box does not phase him: Federer is a former competitor and now friend, while Murray’s own legend at Wimbledon means he is just as revered in the eyes of the people. One day, he will be just as deserving of a place alongside the Princess.
Roger Federer and the Princess of Wales watch from the Royal Box— (AP)
But for Murray routine wins in grand slams have been few and far between since returning from surgery, and being clinical enough to complete this opening match with only two hours of play in the legs is a major positive. Murray will face either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Dominic Thiem in the next round, with their match rained off on a disrupted day at the All England Club. That will work in his advantage, too.
This was wrapped up rather quickly: from 2-2 in the opening set and Peniston having made the better start, Murray jumped on the first error from his opponent and from there only conceded a further two games in the match. While the outcome may not reveal too much about how far this week may take him, Murray moved well and his forehand picked up pace as the contest progressed. After a slow start, he took the game away from Peniston, a potentially tricky left-hander who claimed impressive wins against Holger Rune and Casper Ruud on grass last season.
Murray, though, carries experience here that few can match. He admitted he was feeling a little nervous before Wimbledon – a good sign, he said, as it means he feels confident about his chances at the Championships. In the first few games those nerves were apparent. Murray faced break points in his first two games as Peniston’s low crosscourt backhand created some early problems. He saved them, but looked a little irritable to begin with, prodding and sliding his foot across the grass as if in disapproval of the surface. Peniston had reason to be encouraged.
Murray celebrates another winner— (Getty)
Murray needed to pump himself up, but he had also come across a challenger like this before and an unfancied opponent who would look to come out aggressive and with all guns blazing. The two-time Wimbledon champion has the knowledge to know that such matches can turn in a moment of over-exuberance, and it came as Murray stretched to hang up a backhand lob and Peniston turned to see it bounce inside the line. It only took an instant of hesitation and his following smash fell into the bottom of the net. The opening break followed.
Murray raced to a 6-3 6-0 6-1 win— (Getty Images)
It came against the run of play, but from there Murray had the match under control, knowing when to press and when to steady. After making 15 unforced errors in the opening set, Murray tightened his game and became more aggressive, even getting the breaks with backhands that flicked off the netcord and fell his way. The match began to fall away from Peniston. Murray was not always dominating, despite the scoreline, but in the second and third sets he began to toy with his opponent and won almost all of the competitive baseline exchanges.
As Wimbledon faces a chaotic Wednesday in order to complete the opening round, Murray will now wait to see if it will be Tsitsipas or Thiem to come. Neither are the most convincing on grass, and whoever Murray faces will have the extra challenge of playing him on Centre Court. As Peniston found, facing royalty at Wimbledon is not as easy as Murray made it look.
Rain messes up schedule as Evans knocked
The rain continued to fall all afternoon and it washed out the complete schedule of matches on the outside courts, which meant Britain’s Dan Evans was moved onto Centre for a late-night conclusion to his first-round match against the qualifier Quentin Halys. Despite mounting a comeback, Evans could not overturn a two-set deficit as the Frenchman closed out a 6-2 6-3 6-7 6-4 victory. Cameron Norrie fared better as the British No 1 began his campaign with a four-set win against the spirited Tomas Machac, while Carlos Alcaraz hit some impressive early form as the top seed thrashed Jeremy Chardy 6-0 6-2 7-5.
On the women’s side, last year’s winner Elina Rybakina survived a scare on Centre Court but came through against wily American Shelby Rogers. The Kazakh dropped the first set 6-4 but came storming back, dropping just three games in the next two sets. The woman she beat in the 2022 final, Ons Jabeur, was an altogether more comfortable winner under the roof on Court 1, defeating Polish player Magdalena Frech 6-3 6-3.
World number two Aryna Sabalenka, the Belarusian returning to SW19 after missing out last year due to the AELTC’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players, was in stirring form on Centre, losing just four games in a 6-3 6-1 win against Hungarian Panna Udvardy. British No 1 Katie Boulter will resume her first round match tomorrow, while Jodie Burrage is first up on Centre Court for her second round match against 11th seed Daria Kasatkina at 1:30pm.
