Svitolina, Vekic and Tauson were all first round casualties. It could have been more with Swiatek, Keys, Rybakina and Paolini being pushed to three sets. The return of Serena Williams was cut short but not before an epic that lasted almost two and a half hours. She came back from a set and a break down and even saved a match point in the second set breaker. Found herself a break up early in the third but Maya Joint broke in consecutive return games and was never headed. The big names have been put on notice and will need to…

We started the tournament with two former champions in the draw (Sinner and Djokovic) and we almost lost both on the opening day. Sinner was a shadow of himself and needed five set to get through while seven-time winner Novak Djokovic was in the thick of it in a tight four set match. Jannik Sinner vs Nuno Borges 12:30am* Thursday | Centre Court Over 30.5 games Cannot remember the last time Sinner had 31 aces in a match but he needed every one of them to get past Kecmanovic. There were question marks surrounding his physical condition leading into the…

Fernandez, Potapov and Li were the only seeded players from the top half that failed to make it through. No issues for the major contenders with Sabalenka, Pegula, Gauff and Andreeva all winning in straight sets. We take a close look at the quartet in our feature previews. Aryna Sabalenka vs McCartney Kessler 12:00am* Thursday | Court 1 Over 19.5 games ($1.92) Sabalenka usually dominates headlines for her outstanding tennis and constant stream of titles. This time around prize money has been the topic but it did not detract from her firs round performance. She broke serve five times in…

Whether it be due to ranking, seeding or pure luck, the 64 players in action today have an advantage before a single ball has been hit. They are in the opposite side of the draw to Sinner and Djokovic which can turn into a significant advantage. Alexander Zverev capitalised in Paris to claim his maiden major title and there are several others including Shelton, Fritz and Draper who would like to follow his lead. The match of the day sees Taylor Fritz take on Jack Draper and 15,000+ British fans. Alexander Blockx vs Alexander Zverev 12:00am* Wednesday | Court 1…

The defending champion usually dominated headlines leading into a Grand Slam but that has not been the case for Iga Swiatek as all the attention has been in the direction of Serena Williams. With 23 majors including 7 Wimbledon titles next to her name, it is understandable but people should remember that it has been almost a decade since she last lifted a major trophy – 2017 Australian Open. One thing we can be assured of is that the pressure will be on her opponent and not her. Serena Williams vs Maya Joint 3:20am* Wednesday | Centre Court Over 20.5…