Read Tumaini Carayol's report of Serena's defeat
That’s all for today, folks. It’s been another long but often thrilling day at Wimbledon, where Harmony Tan has caused quite the late night sensation by beating Serena Williams in a final set tie-break in one of a few epic matches played today.
In other news, six British players advanced to the second round today, while Nick Kyrgios made unsavoury headlines for bullying a line-judge and spitting towards a spectator.
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Harmony Tan speaks: “I don’t know what to say because I am so emotinoal but she is a superstar and for my first Wimbledon but it is just ... wow,” she says in her post-match interview with the BBC. “When I saw the draw I was really scared. It’s Serena Williams. She’s a legend and I was like ‘Oh my God, how can I play?’. I thought if I could win one or two games it would be really good for me.”
Women’s singles: Harmony Tan beats Serena Williams 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (3).
Harmony Tan beats Serena Williams!!!
Women’s singles: The incredibly dogged and tenacious Harmony Tan converts her second match point to beat Serena Williams in an absolutely sensational first round match. The Frenchwoman looked down and out on a couple of occasions but simply wouldn’t accept defeat in her ninth ever Grand Slam match against a seven-times champion.
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Women’s singles: Williams nets another sliced volley to go 7-6 in arrears. She falls two points behind as Tan passes her down her forehand side. Another point for Serena makes it 8-7 to Tan on serve. Williams sends an attempted passing shot millimnetres wide to give Tan two more match points.
Women’s singles: It’s 5-4 to Harmony Tan, as Serena sends a return wide Williams stops the rot with a terrific drop shot that Tan doesn’t get near until the third bounce of the ball. With arguably her best shot of the evening – a sliced drop volley on the stretch – Williams goes 6-5 ahead only for Tan to pull another point back.
Women’s singles: Harmony Tan just doesn’t know when she’s beaten! She pulls back four points in a row to level proceedings, the third a sublime passing shot that clips the line.
Women’s singles: The clock ticks past the three-hour mark as Williams races into a 4-0 lead in the tie-break – first to 10 wins it, but the winning margin must be at least two points.
Women’s singles: Tan mishits a forehand, catching the ball with the frame of her racket to send it rolling along the floor into the net. Another long forehand from Tan means Williams holds her serve and we’re into a final set tie-break.
Women’s singles: Tan slices into the net as she attempts a drop shot before Serena sends a backhand long to make it 15-15. Williams nets a forehand to go 15-30 down but restores parity with a bludgeoned backhand that wrongfoots Tan. During the next point, Williams volleys wide with the court at her mercy after appearing to get lucky with and it’s match point for Tan. Williams saves it but doesn’t show a flicker of emotion. Deuce.
Women’s singles: Tan holds her serve but only just, winning to deuce with a fine backhand pass after drawing Williams to the net with a perfect drop shot. She’s showing few nerves in what is the biggest match of her career and is 6-5 up in the final set with Williams to serve. The players have been on court for two hours and 50 minutes.
Women’s singles: At 30-30 in the 10th game of the final set, Williams sends a return into the net to give Tan a break point. She wins it - drawing Williams to the net before passing with her a backhand from the baseline. It’s all square at 5-5 in the third!
Women’s singles: Tan is nothing if not dogged but another loose shot gives Williams a 15-30 lead. Williams sinks to her knees and raises her hands in the air after a stunning cross-court volley gives her two break points.
Tan rescues the first courtesy of another fine slice, but sends a volley into the net to prompt scenes of jubilation from Williams and her many supporters in the crowd. It’s after 10pm on Centre Court, it’s 5-4 in the final set and Serena is serving for the match.
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Women’s singles: At 15-30 down in her service game, Serena wins three big points in succession to hold. Tan didn’t do herself any favours, sending two shots long to hand the American the game. It’s 4-4 with Tan to serve.
Women’s singles: Tan makes it three games in a row, holding her serve to go 4-3 up in the third set, forcing a crucial error from Williams who sends the ball into the net as she stretched to return a sliced backhand.
Women’s singles: Harmony Tan breaks back, earning herself a round of applause from Serena Williams as she does so with an inch-perfect splendid backhand from the baseline, to make it 3-3 in the final set.
Women’s singles: Serena Williams has a break of serve in the final set of her first round match against Harmony Tan on Centre Court. She raises her fist in weary triumph after beating Tan with a cross-court beauty of a backhand to go 30-15 up in the third game of the set, then wins the next two points to pull two games clear. Both players look exhausted.
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Williams levels proceedings with Tan
Women’s singles: Still looking curiously subdued between points, Serena Williams powers her way to a 6-1 win in the second set of her match against Harmony Tan, hitting 22 winners to her French opponent’s six as she does so. It’s a set each on Centre Court and we’re into the decider.
Men’s singles: Liam Broady needed three hours and 30 minutes to down Lukas Klein in five sets and become the latest home player to go into the second round at Wimbledon.
Broady, the world No132, who made the junior final at the All England Club in 2011, recovered from being a break down in the decider to triumph 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (2), 6-3.
It made the wild card the eighth Briton through to round two in the men and women’s singles and his reward is a meeting with Diego Schwartzman, who is seeded 12th and knocked out Broady in four sets last summer at the same stage.
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Men’s singles: Wimbledon officials are deliberating over whether to fine Nick Kyrgios after he admitted he spat towards a spectator and called a line judge a “snitch” during a stormy first-round victory against Britain’s Paul Jubb. Sean Ingle reports ...
Women’s singles: Great Britain’s Katie Boulter is through to the second round for the third time in her career after a straight-set victory over France’s Clara Burel on Court 18. Boulter started badly, going three games to love down in the first set first three games in the first set but rallied herself (pun intended) to win 7-5, 6-3.
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Men’s singles: Stefanos Tsitsipas, seeded No4, has seen off the Swiss challenger Alexander Ritschard in four sets, winning 7-6 (6), 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 against an opponent who was playing his first ever match on the Big Boys’ tour.
Women’s singles: The second game of the second set between Serena Williams and Harmony Tan is an epic that lasts just shy of 20 minutes and boasts 30 points. It ends with a break of serve for Williams, who is a set down but 2-0 up in the second.
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Women’s singles: It’s difficult to disagree with anything tweeted here by Kevin Mitchell, formerly of this parish. Serena looks curiously subdued and out of sorts in her first match back after a year out.
Despite the best/worst efforts of the BBC commentary, Serena Williams, sadly, is not playing “very good tennis”. She looks anxious and troubled after dropping the first set to the gloriously named but toweringly obscure Harmony Tan. #Wimbledon2022
— Kevin Mitchell (@kevinmitchell50) June 28, 2022
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Men’s singles: Canadian sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime has been knocked out in four sets by America’s Maxime Cressy, who won 6-7 (2), 6-4, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (2).
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Women’s singles: Great Britain’s Katie Boulter is a set up against Frenchwoman Clara Burel in a game the player from Leicestershire is expected to win. It’s 2-2 in the second set on Court No18.
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Tan takes opening set against Williams
Women’s singles: There are more celebratory histrionics from Harmony Tan as she serves out to taken the opening set against Serena Williams, who is struggling to cope with her opponent’s slice. The umpire announces there will be a short delay as the Centre Court roof is shut, prompting Williams to head for a comfort break. Tan remains courtside, sitting in her chair brushing her hair ... which is kind of comforting.
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"That's absolutely sensational!"@RafaelNadal picks up @HSBC_Sport Play of the Day for this Centre Court magic 🎩#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 pic.twitter.com/R3YICIu02P
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 28, 2022
Women’s singles: Harmony Tan raises a fist in triumph after breaking Serena Williams to take a 5-4 first set lead, before exhorting all present to make more noise and get behind her. She’s serving for the set.
Dan Evans exits the tournament
Men’s singles: The British No28 seed goes out in the first round, losing in straight sets to Australian 29-year-old Jason Kubler.
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Men’s singles: On No1 Court, the fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas leads Switzerland’s Alexander Ritschard by two sets to nil and it’s 5-5 in the third.
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Women’s singles: After her opening wobble, Serena Williams wins four consecutive games to take a 4-2 lead against Harmony Tan on Centre Court, where there are a surprisingly large number of empty seats. Serena’s sister Venus is parked in one of the many that are occupied, alongside mum Oracene. Tan breaks back to make it 4-3 in a game Williams really should have won but threw away.
Men’s singles: Evans’s fellow Briton Liam Broady is 2-1 up against Slovakia’s Lukas Klein, who is 5-4 up in the fourth and about to serve to take the match to a deciding fifth set.
Men’s singles: Dan Evans is two sets down against Jason Kubler on No2 Court, with ther third set currently tied at 2-2. Evans is suffering from blisters on his foot, which are impairing his mobility.
Women’s singles: It’s been a cagey, error-strewn opening to the match between Serena Williams and Harmony Tan on Centre Court, where the score is two games apiece in the first set, with both players having broken each other once.
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Rafael Nadal speaks: “First of all all the credit to Francisco, I think he started to play great and was a very tough opponent,” said the Spaniard in his post-match interview.
“Three years without being here on this amazing surface, it is amazing to be back and I can’t thank [people] enough for the support. It is not a surface that we play very often especially in my case in the last three years I didn’t put any foot on the grass. Every day is a test and I am at the beginning of the tournament and the difficult circumstances [under which] I arrived here.
“When you play well in Roland Garros it’s not much time between. I used to remember all beautiful days I finished the final in Roland Garros and was playing on the grass at Queens but by body is not allowing me. For me the most important thing is that I am in Wimbledon 2022 and I won the first match.”
Men’s singles: British wild card Alastair Gray pulled off an impressive straight-sets victory on his grand slam singles debut to reach the second round.
Gray, ranked 288 in the world, saw off former Wimbledon boys’ singles champion Tseng Chun-hsin 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (3) with a composed display on Court 14.
The 24-year-old from Twickenham, who attended the same US college as British number one Cameron Norrie, took the third set on a tie-break to potentially set up a clash with 11th seed Taylor Fritz in the next round.
Gray, the second lowest-ranked player in the men’s draw, had won ITF World Tennis Tour events in Shrewsbury and Glasgow this year but had never played above Challenger Tour level.
Serena's back on Centre Court ...
Women’s singles: A considerably better player than her world ranking of 1,204 would suggest, Serena Williams opens her eagerly-anticipated Wimbledon campaign with a double-fault against the 24-year-old Harmony Tan. The Frenchwoman breaks Williams, who looks a little nervous, at the first attempt
Men’s singles: Seeded 28 in the draw, Britain’s Dan Evans trails Australian World No99 Jason Kubler by a set and is a break down in the second, in which he trails 5-3.
Rafael Nadal through to second round ...
Men’s singles: Rafael Nadal survives a fourth set scare to advance at the expense of the extremely game Francisco Cerundolo, winning 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. Having gone a break down in the fourth, he looked to be wobbling but roared back with 11 consecutive winning points to leave Cerundolo on the ropes. The Centre Court crowd rewards the efforts of both players with a standing ovation. Next up on Centre Court? The lesser-spotted Serena Williams.
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Nadal breaks back in the fourth
Men’s singles: Rafael Nadal and Francisco Cerundolo have been playing for over three-and-a-half hours and the Argentinian is 2-1 down in sets but 4-3 and a break up in the fourth. Due up next on Centre Court, Serena Williams’ long wait for her return to singles action will have to wait for a while yet.
But what’s this? Nadal finds himself with three break points on Cerundolo’s serve courtesy of three unforced errors but only needs one. It’s 4-4 in the fourth!
Nadal loses his serve in the fourth
Men’s singles: Leading two sets to one and with the score at one game apiece in the fourth set, Rafael Nadal survives five break points against Francisco Cerundolo only to lose the sixth in a game that lasted 13 minutes. Cerundolo has the break in the fourth and a sizeable proportion of the Centre Court crowd behind him.
Men’s singles: Jack Draper hit a significant milestone at Wimbledon with what appears likely to be the first of many grand slam victories. The 20-year-old has demonstrated this year that he is more than capable of building on his standout talent as a junior, rising more than 150 places in the rankings since taking a set off Novak Djokovic on his debut 12 months ago.
His game is particularly well suited to grass and he arrived at the All England Club ranked 94 in the world and an apparently genuine danger to the rest of the field after reaching the semi-finals in Eastbourne.
He drew another in-form player in Belgian Zizou Bergs, champion at the recent second-tier Challenger tournament in Ilkley, but Draper fought off three set points in the third set to claim a 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory on Court 12. The British No4 faces a tougher assignment in the second round when he takes on Australian 19th seed Alex De Minaur.
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Men’s singles: Rafael Nadal is showing no signs of discomfort or immobility from his injured foot on Centre Court, which is just as well because his Argentinian opponent Francisco Cerundolo has just pulled a set back. Nadal leads by two sets to one and the duo have been on court for two hours and 35 minutes.
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Men’s singles: Out on Court No12, British prospect Jack Draper, ranked 94 in the world, has just beaten his blond Belgian opponent Zizou Bergs. The lanky 20-year-old from Sutton won in straight sets: 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (3).
Women’s singles: Having fallen at the first hurdle at Wimbledon last year, Petra Kvitova has avoided the same fate this time around. The two-time champion, who last won the women’s singles at Wimbledon in 2014 came from a set down to beat Italy’s Jasmine Paolini 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Women’s singles: Emma Raducanu’s opening-round victory over Alison Van Uytvanck on Monday was her first two-set match at a slam since the US Open final and with her history of injury niggles and recent recovery from a side strain, avoiding staying on court too long could be crucial to Raducanu’s hopes of a good run at this year’s championships.
She will be looking for more of the same against France’s Caroline Garcia tomorrow. “I think that it helps at slams that you get a day off in between, so I think that is pretty valuable,” she said. “I felt good out there. There were some tough moments in the second set physically, but I told myself: ‘Push through, if you win in two sets, then you don’t have to play three’. That’s the tactic.”
Raducanu will return to Centre Court tomorrow for her clash with former world number four Garcia, who is now ranked 55. The Frenchwoman is in good form having won a title in Germany at the weekend but needed a final-set tie-break to defeat British wild card Yuriko Miyazaki in round one.
“Caroline is a great opponent,” she said. “I played her earlier on in the year in Indian Wells and it was a tricky match. She plays pretty fast tennis. I’m ready for that.”
Women’s singles: The Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova was a set down in her first round match against Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, but has fought back to win the second 6-4. The No25 seed and two-times Wimbledon champion has an early break in the third and leads 2-1 on Court No2.
Men’s singles: Rafael Nadal has taken a two-set lead in his match against Francisco Cerundolo, his class prevailing as he storms into a 6-4, 6-3 lead over his young Argentinian opponent.
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The ban on Russian players: Tennis fans at Wimbledon are split over the decision to ban Russian players at this year’s event. Organisers made the decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from the tournament, due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Fans admit they understand why the decision was taken, though some questioned why players who can’t choose where they were born should be affected.
2022 runner up Matteo Berrettini, 9-0 on grass in 2022, withdraws from Wimbledon with Covid. Joining Cilic, who withdrew for the same reason.
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) June 28, 2022
Two top 8 favorites for the title in my opinion. pic.twitter.com/3ppw33Rfk0
Women’s singles: Simona Halep, the 2019 Wimbledon champion, looks to be cruising to victory with a minimum of fuss over the Czech Republic’s Karolina Muchova. Seeded 16th in this year’s tournament, the Romanian won the first set 6-3 and leads 4-1 in the second after less than an hour’s play.
Women’s singles: Two-times Wimbledon champion and the winner of last week’s Eastbourne event, the Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova is a set down in her first round match against the Italian Jasmine Paolini, who is seeking her first career win on grass. Kvitova lost the first set 6-2 but is a break up early doors in the second.
Heather Watson speaks: Heather Watson was reduced to tears after reaching the second round of Wimbledon on the back of her four-set win over Tamara Korpatsch on Court One.
The win allowed her to exorcise theghosts of last year where she squandered match points to lose to Kristie Ahn in the first round. “These are the moments you dream of as a little girl,” she said in her on-court interview. “I don’t know why I’m getting emotional. I think I have had a really rough couple of years, like so many other people have. So this means a lot.
“I had a bit of a disaster match last year on this court, having match points. I really wanted to turn it around and win this year.”
"These are the moments you dream of as a little girl"
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 28, 2022
This is what a first round win means to @HeatherWatson92 💚 💜#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/pHFEpFUDIJ
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Men’s singles: After exactly one hour of play, Rafael Nadal is a set to the good in his match against Francisco Cerundolo on Centre Court, having taken the opener 6-4.
Kyrgios sees off wild card Jubb in five-set thriller
Paul Jubb was involved in a thrilling five-setter with Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon but could not pull off a shock as he suffered a 3-6, 6-1, 7-5, 6-7 (3), 7-5 loss.
The British No8 threatened to produce a shock result when he reeled off the opening set in 23 minutes, while his eccentric opponent hinted at implosion when he blasted a tennis ball out of Court No3.
Kyrgios had reached the semi-finals in Stuttgart and Halle in the build-up to SW19 and regained his composure to enough of an extent to fight back and move within a whisker of round two.
But Jubb kept his cool to take a fourth set tie-breaker and force a decider, where despite the best efforts of the world No219, it was the Australian who prevailed in no large part thanks to 30 aces.
It took a mixture of big-serving and an array of glorious winners to send Kyrgios through after three hours and five minutes, with a sprinkle of trademark chatter with line judges and spectators thrown in for good measure.
“It was incredibly tough,” said Kyrgios in his on-court interview. “Obviously he’s a local wild card, he had nothing to lose, played the moment and played some exceptional tennis.
“The crowd was pretty rowdy today, a couple of people in the crowd were not shy of criticising me. That one was for you. You know who you are. Obviously Wimbledon the last couple of years has been a strange one, a different feel, but it’s special coming out here playing in front of full courts. I’m happy to be through and now just rest up.” (Staff and agencies)
Men’s singles: Playing his first match on grass in three years and returning after a long struggle with a foot injury, Rafael Nadal is in action on Centre Court. His opponent is the 22-year-old Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo, who says his Spanish opponent was his idol growing up. It’s currently 4-3 to Nadal in the first set with each player have broken the other’s serve once.
Women’s singles: American No11 seed Coco Gauff survived a scare to come from a set down and beat Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse 2-6, 6-3, 7-5.
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Brit-watch: Heather Watson has booked her spot in the second round with a three-set win over Tamara Korpatsch. The British No4 was forced to come back to Court One after her match was suspended last night due to the local curfew tied at one set all. She finished the job in style on Tuesday, winning 6-7 (7), 7-5, 6-2.
Nick Kyrgios beats Paul Jubb in five sets ...
Men’s singles: Nick Kyrgios holds serve to go 6-5 up against Paul Jubb, who is serving to stay in the match. The players trade points before Jubb sends a cross-court forehand from the baseline well wide, before allowing a long Kyrgios forehand past him only to see it clip the line.
The Aussie has two match points and Jubb saves the first before sending another forehand wide. Game, set and match Nick Kyrgios, who wins 3-6, 6-1, 7-5, 6-7 (4), 7-5. It was a heroic effort from the 22-year-old wild card from Hull but the experience of the streetwise Kyrgios proved crucial in the end.
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Jubb breaks back against Kyrgios ...
Men’s singles: What a match this is! At 5-3 up in the final set, Nick Kyrgios saves two break points to take his service game to deuce but a sensational drop shot from Paul Jubb under the most intense pressure gives the Briton advantage. An unforced error from Kyrgios is greeted by roars from the crowd. Jubb holds his nerve and serve in the next game to take the final set to 5-5.
Kyrgios breaks Jubb ...
The dream is dying for Paul Jubb, who trails 4-2 in the fifth set of his match against Nick Kyrgios on Court No18, having lost his service game to 15.
Men’s singles: It’s going with serve in Paul Jubb’s final set decider against Nick Kyrgios. The Australian leads 3-2 but Jubb missed a glorious opportunity to break him in his last service game, running on a to a forehand with plenty of court to aim for only to mess up his return. At one point between serves, all present were treated to a loud cry of “C’mon, Jubby lad!” in a broad Hull accent. “Jubby” will be a very popular winner in his home city if he can pull off a most unlikely upset.
"I'm really motivated to play well here"
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 28, 2022
No.1 seed Iga Swiatek speaks after a record-breaking win on Centre Court#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 pic.twitter.com/Sly0oXVAp0
Iga Swiatek goes through ...
Women’s singles: The Polish No1 seed Iga Swiatek has beaten Croatia’s Jana Fett 6-0, 6-3 on Centre Court in 75 minutes.
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Jubb takes Kyrgios to a final set ...
The youngster from Hull wins his fourth set tie-break against Nick Kyrgios to take their first round match into a fifth anbd deciding set. During the changeover, a visibly rattled Kyrgios is ranting at the umpire over a line-call he felt should could have gone his way but didn’t. He’s in a very chippy mood today.
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Men’s singles: Paul Jubb and Nick Kyrgios are contesting a tie-break in the fourth set of their match on Court No3 and the British player has a mini-break. He trails 2-1 in sets.
Women’s singles: Women’s No1 seed Iga Swiatek is a set up on Croatia’s Jana Fett and leads 5-3 in the second on Centre Court. Meanwhile on Court No2, Coco Gauff has won the second set of her match against Elena-Gabriela Ruse and has broken her opponent’s serve in the third. It’s 2-1 to Gauff in the decider.
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WEDNESDAY'S ORDER OF PLAY (CENTRE COURT, FROM 13.30 BST)
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 28, 2022
Djokovic vs Kokkinakis
Garcia vs Raducanu
Murray vs Isner#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100
WEDNESDAY'S ORDER OF PLAY (NO.1 COURT, FROM 13.00 BST)
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 28, 2022
Niemeier vs Kontaveit
Norrie vs Munar
Sakkari vs Tomova#Wimbledon
Nick Kyrgios v Paul Jubb: A comically irate Kyrgios leads Paul Jubb by two sets to one but trails 4-3 in a third set that is going with serve. A 22-year-old from a council estate in Hull, Jubb is doing himself and his city proud.
Women’s singles: Xinyu Wang, the 20-year-old from China, has withdrawn from The Championships with a reported thigh injury. She will be replaced in the draw by her 23-year-old compatriot Yue Yuan, who earns a later reprieve after losing in last week’s qualifiers to the American Catherine Harrison.
Brit-watch: British No7 Jay Clarke is out of the men’s singles after going down in straight sets to American qualifier Christian Harrison. The duo resumed their match this afternoon after it was suspended late last night, but Harrison needed just 15 minutes to wrap up a 7-6 (3), 6-1, 7-6 (6) win on Court 18.
Coco Gauff is in a spot of bother. On Court No2, the American French Open runner-up and No11 seed is a set down but 3-2 up in the second against Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse.
Brit-watch: Wild card Ryan Peniston got his Wimbledon debut off to a wonderful start with a straight-sets victory over Switzerland’s Henri Laaksonen.
The 26-year-old from Southend, who is enjoying a breakthrough summer after reaching the quarter-finals at Nottingham, Queen’s and Eastbourne, won 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 on a packed Court 12.
The British No6 will fancy his second round chances against the American Steve Johnson, ranked 93 in the world, after 18th seed Grigor Dimitrov retired from their match with a groin injury.
Greetings one and all. As I join you, Nick Kyrgios is sitting on his chair between games, having just broken Britain’s Paul Jubb to take a 6-5 lead in the third set of their match, which is currently tied at one set apiece.
Having mocked either Jubb or – as seems more likely – somebody in the crowd for not complimenting him on the quality of his returns, Kyrgios comes out to serve for the set. Having roared into a 40-0 lead, he loses two points in quick succession but closes out the set 7-5. He’s in typically spiky form today, is Nick.
Right, Barry Glendenning is in the building and ready to guide you through the afternoon’s play. Before I go I can tell you that Gauff has lost the first set to Elena-Gabriela Ruse, so she will need to battle back to avoid an upset. And Swiatek is absolutely cruising on Centre Court. She leads 4-0. Bye.
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Britain’s Paul Jubb has done well to steady himself in the third set after losing the second 6-1 to Kyrgios. He’s also showing great composure to focus on his game while Kyrgios chunters on and on about everything and anything that is not going his way. It is unclear at times whether the Australian is talking to himself or the umpire or a line judge, or his spiritual mentor. Anyway, it’s making for entertaining viewing (there was a doubles-style rapid fire exchange of volleys at the net which got the crowd off their seats in the game just gone). It’s 5-4 to Jubb in the third set after a nervy hold by the 22-year-old from Hull.
A reply to Simon Zekaria’s missive about long nets v short ones in singles. “Yes, players do hit round the net now and again, as play demands,” writes Tom Mason. “Watch till the end as the Roger v Kyrgios one is great for Nick’s reaction. A longer net would be a disadvantage in singles if such shots are legal, which they are. Rare of course, but legal. I am an occasional player and only intermediate. Also I’m at work so must run …”
Coco Gauff is involved in a serious tussle with Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse on Court 2. She trails 4-2 in the first set after 34 minutes and will need to shake off the rust rapidly.
The world No 1 Iga Swiatek is out on Centre Court and in action against Croatia’s world No 252, Jana Fett. She gets a huge ovation from the packed crowd. Will she add the Wimbledon crown to her French Open one?
Iga Swiatek and Jana Fett take to Centre Court for their first round clash#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 pic.twitter.com/BOK0NAfqCd
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 28, 2022
On No 3 Court it would appear Kyrgios has now found top gear, both with his tennis and his outbursts. Having lost the first set to Britain’s Jubb 6-3, he blitzed the second set 6-1. He also had time to have a pop at the crowd, smash a ball out of the court and call a line judge “the worst I’ve seen” and a “snitch”.
Kyrgios wins the second set 6-1 moments after telling a woman line judge that she is "the worst I've ever seen".
— Sean Ingle (@seaningle) June 28, 2022
Just another normal Nick Kyrgios match... https://t.co/l5HVZwibHq
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It is not to be for Katie Swan. Marta Kostyuk holds serve to progress 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. I think Swan will think she missed her chance in the second set, when she looked in commanding form before needing treatment on an injury. She battled hard in the final set but was obviously in discomfort.
On Court 12 the 14th seed Belinda Bencic has been taken to a deciding set by China’s Qiang Wang. Having won gold in the Olympics last summer, the Swiss 25-year-old won’t want to experience the ignominy of a first-round exit here.
Katie Swan is still battling through the pain in her first-round match against Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk. The Brit was broken in the first game of the deciding set but has steadied herself and trails 5-4. She will need to break her opponent to stay in the tournament but she has been returning well and won her last service game without exerting herself too much.
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Court No 1 has swung into action, with men’s 19th seed Alex de Minaur being bumped up into Matteo Berrettini’s slot. He has broken Bolivia’s world No 80, Hugo Dellien, in the first game with minimum fuss. And on Court 2 the 11th seed Coco Gauff (who is still only 18!) has got her 2022 Wimbledon tilt under way against world No 54, Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania.
What a moment for Britain’s Ryan Peniston (ranked 135). On his Wimbledon debut he has cruised to victory over Swiss world No 96 Henri Laaksonen 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.
Pure joy! 🎉
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 28, 2022
On his Grand Slam debut, Ryan Peniston reaches the second round with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 win against Henri Laaksonen#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/ovykjhcS5H
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Britain’s Paul Jubb has wasted no time in making the most of his moment in the spotlight against Kyrgios on Court 3. He’s taken the first set 6-3. Kyrgios still enjoyed some magic monets in that first set. mind. Here he is hitting a ‘no-look’ winner.
On Court 3 the enigmatic, always entertaining and often combustible Nick Kyrgios is in action against Britain’s Paul Jubb (ranked 22). The Australian has already thrown in an underarm serve as he looks to get some of the home crowd on his, rather than Jubb’s side. It’s on serve, with Jubb leading 4-3 in the first set. Another Brit going along nicely is Southend’s Ryan Peniston (world No 135). He leads Switzerland’s Henri Laaksonen, ranked about 40 places above him, 6-4, 6-3, 5-2 and, barring a Devon Loch-style tennis moment, should soon be in the second round.
A bit of housekeeping now: the 5th seed Maria Sakkari did indeed see out her match against Zoe Hives, winning in straight sets 6-1, 6-4. The No 12 seed Jelena Ostapenko also cruised into the second round, beating Oceane Dodin of France 6-4, 6-4 in a little over an hour.
Britain’s Katie Swan (ranked 183) won a fine first set against Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk (ranked 76) 6-4 but she has lost the second set by the same scoreline and, in a worrying development, needed treatment for an injury in the latter stages of that set. There will now be a straight shootout to see who progresses. Swan may have to play through the pain though.
Simon Zekaria has nets on his mind, specifically the length of them. “Can you or esteemed tennis heads help with this conundrum. Tennis nets have different lengths depending on their use – shorter lengths for singles (with the posts in the tramlines) and full length for doubles. Sometimes, the full length net is used for singles matches (such as the Katie Swan-Marta Kostyuk singles match) but there have to be ‘sticks’ in the tramlines to make sure the net height is the same. Why not use the shorter length for all singles matches? I presume this is because the outside courts have to quickly change to doubles. But then why not have all nets full length width and then you just have to change the sticks. However, there is another question arising from net lengths. In tennis, the ball doesn’t have to go over the net. You can play round the post and outside the net to win a point – granted it is very rare but it can happen (I think Federer has done it). That is impossible if it is a full length net. If you are playing a singles match with a full length net you are at a disadvantage as you can’t play that shot, unlike, say players on the show courts, who play with the shorter net. Unfair? See photos below of the Katie Swan match today and a Court 1 match yesterday.”
It’s an interesting point, Simon, but I’m not sure how often players really try to play round the net. Maybe a reader who plays tennis at a decent standard might be able to write in and tell us if it has any bearing on performance. Maybe Roger Federer is scrolling through. Roger!? Roger?!
Wimbledon’s Covid-19 protocols under review
Wimbledon’s Covid-19 protocols are under review after Matteo Berrettini was forced to withdraw on the morning of his first round match after testing positive for Covid-19. Here’s Tumaini Carayol’s full story from SW19 …
Grigor Dimitrov retires injured
It’s bad news for the men’s 18th seed and 2014 Wimbledon semi-finalist, Grigor Dimitrov. The Bulgarian had taken the first set against America’s Steve Johnson 6-4 but, after struggling with a leg injury in the second set, he has had to call it a day.
The highest-ranked singles player out there at the moment is Maria Sakkari, the women’s No 5 seed. She is likely to be very soon into the second round as she leads Australia’s Zoe Hives 6-1, 5-4 on Court 3. Sakkari has been in good form this year and will be looking to make it to the second week, something she hasn’t done before.
Thanks Luke. Hello everyone. I hope you’re all well and feeling much better than poor Matteo Berrettini, last year’s beaten finalist who has had to pull out of this year’s tournament with Covid. What a blow. The big names are yet to head out to the show courts but there are many singles matches under way at SW19 and I’ll keep you updated if any stories develop in them.
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And with that, I shall hand you over to my esteemed colleague Gregg Bakowski to guide you through the next while. Bye for now.
And on Court 1, in the absence of Matteo Berrettini, from 1pm:
Alex de Minaur (19) v Hugo Dellien
Tamara Korpatsch v Heather Watson (7-6 (7), 5-7, 0-0)
Karolina Muchova v Simona Halep (16)
Alexander Ritschard v Stefanos Tsitsipas (4)
The order of play on Centre Court, from 1.30pm:
Iga Swiatek (1) v Jana Fett
Francisco Cerundulo v Rafael Nadal (2)
Serena Williams v Harmony Tan
Andy Murray on the move during his victory last night. Photo by The Guardian’s Tom Jenkins.
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Berrettini 'heartbroken' after being ruled out by Covid-19
Last year’s runner-up and one of the favourites for Wimbledon, Matteo Berrettini, has withdrawn from the tournament after testing positive for coronavirus. The Italian reached his first grand slam final at the All England Club last summer, losing in four sets to Novak Djokovic, and has been the form player on grass this summer.
After recovering from hand surgery that had ruled him out since March, Berrettini defeated Andy Murray to win an ATP tournament in Stuttgart and then successfully defended his title at Queen’s Club last weekend.
Writing on Instagram, Berrettini said: “I am heartbroken to announce that I need to withdraw from wimbledon due to a positive Covid-19 test result. I have had flu symptoms and been isolating the last few days. Despite symptoms not being severe, I decided it was important to take another test this morning to protect the health and safety of my fellow competitors and everyone else involved in the tournament. I have no words to describe the extreme disappointed I feel. The dream is over for this year, but I will be back stronger. Thank you for the support.”
Berrettini, who has been replaced by lucky loser Elias Ymer, was the eighth seed and had been due to face Cristian Garin in the opening match on Court One on Tuesday. His withdrawal follows that of former finalist Marin Cilic, who announced on Monday that he had also tested positive for Covid-19. Both players were in Rafael Nadal’s half of the draw, with Cilic seeded to be his fourth-round opponent. (PA Media)
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There are no fewer than 11 women’s singles matches currently under way, and five men’s singles ties. In the women’s games Sakkari is the highest seed playing now (No 5), then the highest after that is Jelena Ostapenko, who is 5-3 up on Oceane Dodin in their first set.
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In the men’s draw, David Goffin is already a break and 2-0 up against Radu Albot. That’s on Court 14. Both are unseeded.
Yulia Putintseva (seeded 27) is under way against Alize Cornet on Court 10 and it’s 2-2 in the first set. Neither player has managed to hold on to their serve yet.
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Meanwhile, play is commencing across the venue. On Court 3, Maria Sakkari (5) has gone 2-0 up in the first set against Zoe Hives.
Matteo Berrettini out with Covid
I mentioned that Berrettini was due on Court 1 a bit later. Well, he isn’t anymore:
Matteo Berrettini is out of Wimbledon after testing positive for Covid-19.
— Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) June 28, 2022
Brutal.
A terrible disappointment for the player who went all the way to last year’s men’s singles final. Get well soon.
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Andy Murray threw in an underarm serve in his match against James Duckworth yesterday – watch it here:
“If they stand four or five metres behind the baseline, then why would you not do that to try to bring them forward if they’re not comfortable returning there?” Murray said. “Tactically, it’s a smart play.”
Heather Watson will be back on Court 1 later but not until after Matteo Berrettini’s match. Watson lost the first set to the world No 110 Tamara Korpatsch on a tiebreak yesterday, having been 5-1 up, but rallied to win the second set 7-5. They will be back to play the third and final set.
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Here, if you missed any of them, are a few of the pieces we’ve recently published from Wimbledon:
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“For Anhelina Kalinina, a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 winner over Anna Bondar on Monday, the £78,000 she is guaranteed for reaching round two will go toward helping her family rebuild their home in Ukraine, which, she revealed, has been bombed by Russian forces.”
Simon Cambers reports:
There has been an eagerness to cling to these pegs of the pre‑pandemic summer: Glastonbury, Wimbledon, queueing endlessly for a low-cost airline seat. And Monday was a red-letter day for the All England Club in other ways, with first-round appearances for the only two British players to win a grand slam singles title in the past 45 years, Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu.
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Preamble
Emma Raducanu and Andy Murray were the headline-makers yesterday as Wimbledon welcomed a capacity crowd for the first time in quite a while. Raducanu, the 19-year-old US Open champion, performed admirably on her Centre Court debut to see off Alison Van Uytvanck. Murray dropped a set against James Duckworth before finding his rhythm and progressing to a second-round date with John Isner.
It’s another packed day of tennis today: women’s singles top seed Iga Swiatek, the French Open champion, is up first on Centre Court against Jana Fett of Croatia at 1pm. Rafael Nadal (No 2 seed) will then face the Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo before the seven-times women’s champion Serena Williams takes on Harmony Tan in the final match scheduled on Centre.
Matteo Berrettini, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Simona Halep, Coco Gauff, Karolina Pliskova and Garbine Muguruza will be taking to the court later, too. That sounds like plenty to be going on with. Let’s do this.
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