The 138th Wimbledon Championships kick off today, with two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz beginning his quest for a third consecutive men’s title. On the women’s side, the focus will be on the top seed, Aryna Sabalenka, as she aims for her first Wimbledon championship.
Alcaraz Aims for a Three-Peat
World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz will open play on Centre Court against 38-year-old Italian Fabio Fognini. It would be a huge upset if Alcaraz, who has never lost in a Grand Slam first round across 17 appearances, were to fall in his opening match, a feat only two other men’s champions have experienced at Wimbledon since 1967.
Having defeated Novak Djokovic in the last two Wimbledon finals, Alcaraz is looking to join an exclusive group of Wimbledon legends. Despite his strong clay-court record, the 22-year-old Spaniard is equally formidable on grass, boasting 29 wins in 32 Tour-level matches on the surface. His last Wimbledon defeat was in 2022 against Jannik Sinner in the last 16. Alcaraz is aiming to become only the fifth man in the Open Era—after Djokovic, Bjorn Borg, Roger Federer, and Pete Sampras—to win at least three consecutive Wimbledon titles. If he succeeds, he’d also be the second-youngest player in the Open Era to clinch six Grand Slam men’s titles, a milestone Borg reached in 1978.
Sabalenka Seeks Wimbledon Glory Amidst Heatwave
London is currently experiencing a heatwave, with temperatures expected to hit a scorching 33 degrees Celsius on Monday, posing a challenge for players and spectators alike.
Amidst these conditions, top seed Aryna Sabalenka will kick off her campaign against Canadian qualifier Carson Branstine on Court One. The 27-year-old Belarusian, a three-time Grand Slam champion, has faced frustrating three-set defeats in this year’s Australian Open and Roland-Garros finals, losing to Madison Keys and Coco Gauff, respectively. Her Roland-Garros loss led to criticism after she initially attributed the defeat solely to her own mistakes rather than Gauff’s performance, though she later apologized for calling it her “worst final.” Sabalenka has reached the final in five of her last six Grand Slams but has yet to make the Wimbledon showpiece, having lost in the semifinals in 2021 and 2023.
British Hopes and Other Notable Matches
This year’s Wimbledon features the largest contingent of British players since 1984, with 23 competitors across the men’s and women’s singles draws. Four of these players have been given prime slots on Wimbledon’s main courts today:
- Katie Boulter will face Spanish ninth seed Paula Badosa on Centre Court.
- Jacob Fernley takes on Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca on Court One.
- Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu will play fellow Briton Mingge Xu, a 17-year-old, on Court One.
Elsewhere on Monday, German third seed Alexander Zverev will go up against Arthur Rinderknech. Italian fourth seed Jasmine Paolini, who was a finalist last year, will start her tournament against Anastasija Sevastova. Women’s defending champion Barbora Krejcikova, having recovered from a thigh injury, is scheduled to begin her title defense against Alexandra Eala of the Philippines on Tuesday.
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