Alcaraz survives, Sabalenka cruises on Wimbledon’s hottest opening day
LONDON: Carlos Alcaraz survived a major scare in his Wimbledon opener on Monday while Aryna Sabalenka kept her cool to progress on the hottest opening day in the tournament’s history. Temperatures at the All England Club on Monday topped 32 degrees Celsius (89.6 Fahrenheit), surpassing the previous record for the start of the tournament of 29.3 Celsius set in 2001. Alcaraz dug dip for a 7-5, 6-7 (5/7), 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 win over 38-year-old Fabio Fognini in a gruelling clash lasting four hours and 37 minutes on Center Court. It was first time since Roger Federer narrowly beat Alejandro Falla in 2010 that a defending champion had been taken to a fifth set in the Wimbledon first round. Alcaraz shrugged off an inconsistent display including 62 unforced errors as the world number two refused to wilt in the heat. “I don’t know why it is probably Fabio’s last Wimbledon because the level he has shown shows he can still play for three or four more years,” said the Spaniard. “Playing on Center Court for the first match of any tournament is never easy. Wimbledon is special and different.