Wimbledon: Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff and Jannik Sinner secure second round spot after winning openers

Carlos Alcaraz endured an early test in his Wimbledon title defence but the Spaniard quelled the challenge of Estonian qualifier Mark Lajal 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 6-2 to move into the second round on Monday.

The 21-year-old Spaniard, seeded third this year, came through in two hours and 22 minutes against Lajal, also 21 but ranked 266 places lower.

The Estonian sported dreadlocks pulled back in a pineapple-style ponytail on his Wimbledon debut.

He took a chunk out of the three-time Grand Slam winner with a break of serve in the opening set.

Lajal broke Alcaraz again early in the next set but he was unable to make the advantage count and his opponent broke back to love immediately before pouncing again in the 11th game.

With the momentum having swung, Alcaraz, who last month added the French Open to his Wimbledon and US Open titles, hit straight back and continued to reel off the points for a two-set lead.

He raised his game further in the third to break with a superb backhand cross-court winner and he never looked back from there to close out the victory.

“He played a really good match,” said Alcaraz. “Obviously he surprised me a little bit because I hadn’t seen him too much.

“He’s young, he’s my age and I’m sure I’m going to see him really soon on the tour and play him more often.

“But I’m really happy to get through and get my first win on Centre Court this year.”

Fifth seed Daniil Medvedev strode confidently and cheerfully into the second round with an assured 6-3 6-4 6-2 win over American Aleksandar Kovacevic on his favourite Court One.

“I’ve still never lost on Court One so hopefully I can play a lot more matches on this court,” a smiling Medvedev told an appreciative crowd in an on-court interview.

“Last year I said it was unfortunate I had to go to Centre Court for the semis and I lost.”

Sinner subdues feisty Hanfmann to advance at Wimbledon

Jannik Sinner wobbled midway through his Wimbledon first-round clash with unseeded German Yannick Hanfmann but the world No 1 recovered to seal a 6-3 6-4 3-6 6-3 win on Monday and book a meeting with fellow Italian Matteo Berrettini.

The Australian Open champion used his powerful serve and forehand to good effect against Hanfmann as he breezed through the first set on the back of a solitary break and got his nose in front early in the next.

Hanfmann hung on and heaped pressure on Sinner’s serve but was unable to find a way through and the 22-year-old top seed moved two sets ahead.

The world number 110 flipped the script to go 4-0 up in the third set as Sinner appeared to be belatedly hampered by a nasty fall, and the German cupped his ear amid huge cheers after forcing a fourth set with a neat volley.

There was to be no comeback, however, as Sinner rediscovered his rhythm under the lights on Court One to break for a 3-1 lead and held firm from to close out the match.

Sinner, who lifted his first title on the sport’s slickest surface at Halle two weeks ago, could face another tricky test against Berrettini after the 2021 runner-up beat Hungarian Marton Fucsovics 7-6(3) 6-2 3-6 6-1.

Gauff cruises into second round

World number two Coco Gauff advanced to the second round with a convincing 6-1 6-2 win over compatriot Caroline Dolehide.

On the eve of this year’s grass-court championships, Gauff admitted she had been “in a dark place” following her opening-round exit in London last year but armed with the knowledge that things “couldn’t get any worse” this time round, she was simply unstoppable against her 51st-ranked rival.

“Last year I lost in the first round and it was very tough for me, that’s why I am a little emotional and that’s why I was happy to turn it around,” Gauff told the crowd on court.

The 20-year-old, now a Grand Slam champion having won the US Open in September, dropped only one point on serve during a formidable first-set performance.

Such was her confidence she conjured an incredible cross-court lob into the far corner which she greeted with a one-armed salute as the Centre Court crowd jumped to their feet to roar their approval.

The world No 2 kept up the barrage of winners in the second set and despite overcooking a forehand on her first match point, she made no mistake on her second.

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