DEFENDING men’s champion Jannik Sinner and seven-time winner Novak Djokovic survived first-round tests at the 2026 Wimbledon Championships, while China’s Wang Xinyu and Zhang Shuai advanced in the women’s singles draw.

World No 1 Sinner battled back from a set down to defeat Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-2, 6-3 in a gripping opener that lasted three hours and 30 minutes.

Playing his first match since a dramatic second-round defeat at the French Open last month, Sinner struggled with unforced errors and slipped heavily during the third set, remaining on the ground for several moments. Blood later seeped through his right shoe in the fourth set, though he later said the bleeding was caused by a toenail issue and was not serious.

The Italian found his form back in the final two sets, committing just 10 unforced errors, while firing 31 aces and 72 winners for the whole match. He will next face Portugal’s Nuno Borges.

Djokovic was also pushed hard before defeating China’s Wu Yibing 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 in three hours and 12 minutes. The 39-year-old Serbian showed signs of fatigue late in the match but converted three of his six break-point opportunities, while Wu managed just one break from 11 chances.

“It didn’t feel like a first round, to be honest,” said Djokovic. “Wu deserves huge applause for his incredible performance. He put me under a lot of pressure. I probably should have lost that fourth set. These kinds of matches are decided in a few points.” — Xinhua