ATP
Wimbledon 2025 Men’s Day 1
Holder Carlos Alcaraz survived a white-hot opening battle with wily Italian veteran Fabio Fognini to escape into the Wimbledon second round as play began in heatwave 31 Celsius conditions on Monday.
The top seed who is bidding for a hat-trick of titles after also winning in 2023, had to work to get past Fognini, playing what is likely to be his last event on grass at age 38.
Alcaraz, more than a decade and a half younger than the colourful Italian, had to spend more than four and a half hours to finally pull off victory as Fognini played in his 63rd Grand Slam, with the Spaniard winning 7-6, 6-7 (5), 7-5, 2-6, 6-1.
“I don’t know why this is his last Wimbledon, with the level he showed today he could play another three or four years,” Alcaraz said.
“I give him a lot of credit for an unbelievable match. It’s still a bit sad that this could be his last Wimbledon.
“I’m happy to have shared the court with him.”
Alcaraz, who won Queen’s by way of a tuneup last month, said he had to make a major effort to go through for the win.
“Playing a first match in a Grand Slam or any tournament is always tough. I can tell the difference between here and the other grass events. Wimbledon is so special and different.”
Alcaraz will face a complete unknown in the second round after Briton Oliver Tarvet defeated fellow qualifier Leandro Riedi of Switzerland 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
The winner had never played either a Tour-level tournament or qualifying prior to last week here and as a college student amateur in the US can still accept only a limited amount of prize money..
Qualifier Nicolas Jarry produced the first notable upset with his 4-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 upset of eighth seed Holger Rune, earning the comeback win in three and a half hours over the 2023 quarter-finalist..
Daniil Medvedev suffered his worst career defeat at Wimbledon as he took a 7-6 (3), 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2 loss to Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi after more than three hours of struggle.
Former No. 1 Medvedev also lost a month ago in the Roland Garros opening round, with the six-time Grand Slam finalist now struggling with his game; he has now lost in the first round of a major on nine occasions, winning only one match at the Slams in 2025.
Before his early defeat, the US Open champion from four years ago had earned back-to-back semi-finals here.
“It’s a matter of confidence, it’s just a matter of a couple of matches, winning matches.
“This year I’ve had a lot of close calls. For the moment, I’m not that worried. If I finish the year somewhere around 15 in the world, maybe I will be moreworried. For the moment, I am not.”
Former top 10 regular Stefanos Tsitsipas suffered his second first-round loss of the season at a major after also crashing out at the opening hurdle in Australia.
The troubled Greek went down to French qualifier Valentin Royer 6-3, 6-2, retiring with back pains which have troubled him off and on for the past few seasons.
Upset winner Royer next takes on Adrian Mannarino, 37 whose ranking has dropped to No. 123 as the one-time atp No. 17 lost his previous seven matches before the grass season.
Rising American Learner Tien made a winning start to his Wimbledon career with a comprehensive 7-6 (5), 6-3, 6-2 defeat of compatriot Nishesh Basavareddy.
Experienced countryman Frances Tiafoe advanced on Day 1 with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 defeat of Dane Elmer Moller.
Despite his efficient win, Tiafoe grumbled about playing an opening match.
“I don’t like playing at 11:00 at all. You try and trick yourself into saying how much you love it.
“It’s weird, especially to get ready for three out of five. But when you have a quick match like you have today at 1:00, you’re done.
“It’s good things and bad things to it. I just had a feeling about (playing early).”
Early British hopes took a knock with the 6-4, 6-1, 7-6 (5) defeat of Jakob Fearnley by Brazilian teenaer Joao Fonseca – youngest in the draw – playing his first main-draw match on grass.
But Cam Norrie got one back as he eliminated Spain’s veteran Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3), and local wild card Arthur Fery defeated Australian Alexei Popyrin 6-4, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.
Two-time champion Casper Ruud had to work for more than two and a half hours to overcome Jaime Faria, the Portuguese who put out Stan Wawrinka in the first round at the Gstaad Swiss Open on Thursday.
Faria was riding the momentum from Tuesday’s defeat of three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka, set to retire this season and beaten in an opening match at his home venue.
Faria had his eye on a second upset as he faced Ruud, who lifted the trophy at this elite alpine village in 2021 and 2022.
Ruud ahd to dodge a bullet and mount a comeback to get through the second-round test against the Portuguese.
After dropping the opening set in a tiebreaker, Ruud played patiently as Faria saved five break points in the sixth game of the second set before failing on the sixth.
Ruud then pulled away for a 6-7 (1), 6-4, 6-2 victory, his first since Roland Garros.
“Sometimes it is hard to say when you get a good feeling and you start to win some games in a row,” the winner said.
“You try from the first game to the last, but suddenly something clicked in the middle of the second for me, luckily.”
He added: “I had to really fight hard and if I played one bad game in the second and he serves well, it could be over and it would be time to go home. But luckily I can extend the stay.”
The Scandinavian could join Spaniards Sergi Bruguera and Alex Corretja as three-time winners in the Alps, with Ruud now standing 10-1 here over his career.
Stefanost Tsitsipas said he slept soundly prior to finishing off a darkness-interrupted match on Thursday as he eliminated local Jerome Kym at the Gstaad Swiss Open.
The Greek who once cracked third in the world and the 186th-ranked Swiss returned to the clay after darkness on Wednesday night left them hanging at 5-all in the third set.
Tsitsipas revved up his game from the resumption to emerge into the quarter-finals 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (5).
The second seed now standing 85th in the world after several poor seasons and a split with his father as his coach, said getting his rest was not a problem after the interruption.
“It was strange going to bed and not being finished. I visualised what I wanted to do, my shot patterns.
“It worked out pretty well.
“I had a good night’s sleep, I was not too stressed and I recovered to get ready for the continuation.”
After saving break points in the first game on Thursday, Tsitsipas triumphed in the final-set tiebreaker
“I’m relieved I was able to save a couple of break points.. I put my game together and made it )victory) happen again.”
The Greek now faces off against Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech for a semi-final spot.
“I’m expecting a lot of big serves, the altitude (1050m) helps. I’ll try to build consistency around my own serve.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas was handed a reprieve due to fading light with his second round match at the Swiss Open Gstaad stopped with the Greek deadlocked with local Jerome Kym 6-4, 6-7 (2), 5-5.
The math had to be halted as night fell and electronic linecalling computers could not read the path of the ball on the clay in contrast to humans who could have carried on for a few additional minutes..
The 27-year-old Tsitsipas was taking the worst of it in the concluding stage after a promising start.against a journeyman opponent ranked 186.
Tsitsipas, his ranking down to 85th after once standing third in the world, lashed out verbally in the last few games, apparently frustrated with his racquet reactions.
The Greek was quick to make his point of an overnight stoppage to the chair umpire while Kym – who reached 5-all with a love service hold – left the court with a defiant fist pump for his public in this alpine resort village.
The cutoff came after just over two hours of play, with the contest to be concluded on Thursday. The winner reaches the Friday quarter-finals.
Tsitsipas produced his last notable result in April with a fourth-round showing at the Madrid Masters,
He is aiming for his second quarter-final of the season after Doha in February and his 2025 Barcelona 15 months ago.
Tsitsipas stands 10-1 vs. players ranked outside the top 100 this season with a sole loss to No. 104 Italian Matteo Arnaldi at the Roland Garros second round.
History repeats for Argentine spoiler in Gstaad
Ruud survives a scare to secure Gstaad quarters
Tsitsipas finishes off Kym after overnight pause
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