Sinner and Sabalenka answer doubters, grim day for British hopes

LONDON, June 29 : Men's defending champion Jannik Sinner and women's top seed Aryna Sabalenka both arrived at Wimbledon with question marks hanging over them but answered the doubters on Monday with contrasting first round victories.

Italy's Sinner, playing his first match since his shock collapse to defeat in the second round of the French Open on a boiling day in Paris, was stretched to the limit by Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic but survived, winning 4-6 6-3 6-7(6) 6-2 6-3.

Sabalenka, who left Paris in a "deep, dark place" after losing the last 10 games of her quarter-final against Diana Shnaider, followed Sinner on to Centre Court and breezed past Serbian qualifier Teodora Kostovic 6-2 6-3.

While world number one Sinner, the overwhelming favourite in the absence of Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, lived to fight another day, there were some early seeded casualties.

Norway's 11th seed Casper Ruud was handed a tough draw in the shape of big-serving Pole Hubert Hurkacz and duly lost 6-4 6-2 7-6(7) while 12th seed Andrey Rublev was edged out in a five-set battle against fellow Russian Roman Safiullin, losing a deciding set tiebreaker 14-12 after missing two match points.

OSAKA DRESSED TO IMPRESS

There was heartbreak too for surprise French Open runner-up Maja Chwalinska as she lost 2-6 7-5 6-2 to Thai qualifier Mananchaya Sawangkaew on Monday after the Pole fell and hurt herself while on match point.

Several women's seeds moved through on a day mercifully cooler than the heatwave that gripped London last week.

Japan's Naomi Osaka once again dressed to impress, walking on court in a "Kill Bill" inspired white kimono and her tennis shone too as the 14th seed beat Elsa Jacquemot 6-1 7-5.

American fourth seed Jessica Pegula beat Darja Vidmanova