LONDON: There has been little authority to define Jannik Sinner in recent seasons. The defending champion committed 52 unforced errors over three hours and 32 minutes, but when his Wimbledon title defense threatened to fail, he rallied from one to two sets down to claim victory.The 24-year-old secured his 94th Grand Slam match win with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-2, 6-3 win over Miomir Kecmanovic, equaling Nicola Pietrangeli’s all-time record for most match wins by an Italian player.“I was a little tight at the beginning, I didn’t play my best, but I tried to get into it. It was my first official match on grass this year. I’m happy to turn it around. The third set was hard to swallow,” Sinner said. “It was a very different feeling. There’s a lot of nerves when you walk down the steps to (arrive at) the court. Also knowing that it’s such a prestigious, historic court. To come back here as the defending champion means a lot to me.“The home crowd at SW19 endured a brutal opening day. After Emma Raducanu’s late withdrawal on Sunday, Britain’s Jack Draper, the injury-plagued former world No. 4, withdrew from the tournament, although the mild afternoon sun offered a respite from the scorching English summer. There was no consolation in midfield as Sinner spent much of the afternoon teetering on the edge, struggling with technical, tactical and physical issues.Sinner, playing his first match since his shock second-round exit at Roland Garros last month, where he appeared to wilt in the heat, returned to center court with questions still hanging over him. On the other side of the net stood the moody world number 50, Kecmanović.Little came easy. The Italian’s shot selection was wrong, he went for drop shots far behind the baseline, and his forehand was poor when he served in the ninth game of the first set. Kecmanović (26) took advantage of the opportunity without hesitation. Even after Sinner took a 3-0 lead in the second set, his game remained tight. As temperatures climbed to 24°C, he reached for an ice towel.Then, after tying the match, Sinner suffered a nasty fall in the fifth game of the third set, his ankle appearing to buckle beneath him. Center Court held his breath as the defending champion winced in pain, before immediately responding with a thunderous forehand on the next point, prompting an audible gasp from the crowd. Despite this, he could do little as the Serb retook the lead.Gresnik, spurred on by his boxing coaches Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi, who appeared to be playing every point with him as the world No. 1 repeatedly turned on them at crucial moments, did well to get out of trouble. As he headed for a tie at two sets apiece, a red stain appeared on one corner of his shoe, causing concern in the stands, although it went largely unnoticed by the referee.“I’m fine, it just seems a lot worse than it is. I’m actually quite surprised they let me continue playing because the all white has turned a bit red,” he said. “It’s just a nail, I didn’t want to bother Miomir, we both had a good rhythm. I didn’t want to take time.”Across from center court, Naomi Osaka, who withdrew from her previous match, the WTA 500 final in Bad Homburg on Saturday, with a foot injury, arrived on court in a striking kimono-inspired all-white look. Underneath the traditional style, her outfit was an elegant one-piece with floral appliqués, micro-pleats and a rounded hem.The Japanese star was just as impressive on court, showing no signs of the injury that had plagued her just 48 hours earlier as she recorded a 6-1, 7-5 win over France’s Elsa Jacquemot.Meanwhile, French Open runner-up Maja Chwalinska was just one point away from winning her Wimbledon first-round match before she slipped while chasing deep behind the baseline on a match point, turning the contest, where she led 6-2, 5-2, heads-up.The Pole, who enjoyed a surprise run to the final of Roland Garros in June, looked on course to carry that momentum into SW19 as she led Mananchaya Sawangkaew before the Thai came from behind to claim 2-6, 7-5, 6-2.
