Global Courant
Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., defeated Kateryna Baindl of Ukraine in three sets, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, to advance to the second round at Wimbledon on Monday.
It is Fernandez’s first major-draw victory at Wimbledon. She suffered a first-round exit on her only other grass court Grand Slam appearance in 2021.
The 20-year-old southpaw won just 65 percent of her first serve points, but broke 29-year-old Baindl’s serve six times en route to victory.
Fernandez, ranked 95th in the world entering the tournament, faces a tough match against No. 5 Caroline Garcia of France in the next round.
The Canadian men Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov will also be in action on Monday.
Auger-Aliassime plays American Michael Mmoh and Shapovalov takes on Radu Albot from Moldova.
Djokovic won the first 2 majors of the year
Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek progressed with straight wins on Monday despite a rain delay as Wimbledon got underway.
Venus Williams and Coco Gauff are among the other big names in action later in Day 1.
It is the third major tournament of the year and Djokovic won the first two: the Australian Open in January and the French Open in June. That puts him halfway through the first calendar year Grand Slam in men’s tennis since 1969. He came close to the feat in 2021, falling just one win short when he lost in the final of the US Open.
He is aiming for a fifth straight title at the All England Club and eighth overall, both of which would tie men’s records.
Djokovic’s title at Roland Garros was his 23rd at a Slam event, breaking a tie with Rafael Nadal for the men’s title in that category.
Djokovic, the No. 2 seed, defeated Pedro Cachin 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (4) after a rain relay that lasted over an hour. Groundkeepers used leaf blowers to dry the grass.
“Of course it was absolutely frustrating for the whole crowd. For us players, we both wanted to play, but the conditions weren’t great, obviously still slippery,” Djokovic said of the delay.
Swiatek better prepared for 2023 tournament
The 36-year-old Serb used a towel to dry off some wet spots: “Normally I come out with rackets, not towels.”
Swiatek, who holds four major titles but has not progressed past the fourth round at the All England Club, defeated China’s Zhu Lin 6-1, 6-3 at No. 1 to win the last two games after the roof closed after a rain delay.
Swiatek said that after her title at the French Open this year, she feels better prepared for the major on the grass court.
“After Roland Garros,” she said on court, “I really took the time to just appreciate what happened. Last year when I won Roland Garros, it was my second Grand Slam, so it still felt overwhelming , but this time I could really focus on celebrating and actually going back to work with more peace of mind and I’m trying to be open to grass season and I think it’s working Hopefully I can keep that mindset .”
Barbora Strycova, a semifinalist in 2019, became the first winner of this year’s tournament by beating Maryna Zanevska 6-1, 7-5. In the men’s event, seventh-seeded Andrey Rublev defeated Max Purcell 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 on No. 3 Court.
Djokovic is followed in the main stadium by Williams, a 43-year-old entering the sport’s oldest major tournament for the 24th time against Elina Svitolina of Ukraine. Williams – whose younger sister Serena retired after last season – won five of her seven Grand Slam singles trophies at Wimbledon.
After Swiatek on No. 1 Court, three-time Grand Slam runner-up Casper Ruud played Laurent Lokoli. And then Gauff, a 19-year-old American who was a French Open finalist last year, will face 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.
