LONDON: There was little of the authority that has come to define Jannik Sinner these last couple of seasons. The defending champion sprayed 52 unforced errors over three hours and 32 minutes, yet when his Wimbledon title defence threatened to unravel, he recovered from one set to two down to grind out victory.The 24-year-old secured his 94th Grand Slam match win with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-2, 6-3 win over Miomir Kecmanovic, equalling Nicola Pietrangeli’s all-time record for the most match wins in majors by an Italian player.“I was a little tight in the beginning, I didn’t play my best, but tried to get into it. It was my first official match on grass this year. I’m happy I turned it around. The third set was a tough one to swallow,” Sinner said. “It was a very different feeling. There’s a lot of nerves when you go down the stairs to (arrive on) the court. Also knowing that it’s such a prestigious, historical court. Coming back here as defending champion means a lot to me.”The home crowd at SW19 endured a bruising opening day. After Emma Raducanu’s late pull-out on Sunday, Britain’s Jack Draper, the injury-plagued former world No. 4, withdrew from the tournament, even as the mild afternoon sun offered respite from a blazing English summer. On Centre Court, there was little solace as Sinner spent much of the afternoon teetering on the brink, grappling with technical, tactical and physical problems.Sinner, playing his first match since his shocking second-round exit at Roland Garros last month, where he appeared to wilt in the heat, returned to Centre Court with questions still hanging over him. Across the net stood the spirited world No. 50, Kecmanovic stood.Little came easily. The Italian’s shot selection was off, going for drop shots from well behind the baseline, and his forehand was misfiring as he surrendered serve in the ninth game of the opening set. Kecmanovic, 26, seized the opportunity without hesitation. Even after Sinner surged 3-0 ahead in the second set, his game remained laboured. As temperatures climbed to 24°C, he reached for the ice towel.Then, after levelling the match, Sinner suffered a nasty fall in the fifth game of the third set, his ankle appearing to buckle beneath him. Centre Court held its breath as the defending champion winced in pain, before he responded immediately with a thunderous forehand on the next point, prompting an audible exhale from the crowd. Even so, there was little he could do as the Serbian reclaimed the lead.Sinner, urged on by his box, coaches Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi, who seemed to be playing every point with him as the world No. 1 repeatedly turned towards them at key moments, did well to pull himself out of trouble. As he moved towards levelling the match at two sets apiece, a red stain appeared on one corner of his shoe, sparking concern in the stands, though it went largely unnoticed by the umpire.“I’m good, it just seems much worse than it is. I’m actually very surprised they let me keep playing because the all-white turned a little red,” he said. “It is just a nail, I didn’t want to disturb Miomir, we both had good rhythm. I didn’t want to take any time.”Across from Centre Court, Naomi Osaka, who retired from her previous match, the WTA 500 final in Bad Homburg on Saturday, with a foot injury, arrived on court in a striking all-white look inspired by the kimono. Beneath the traditional styling, her match outfit was an elegant one-piece with floral appliques, micro-pleating and a curved hem.The Japanese star was equally impressive on court, showing no sign of the injury that had troubled her just 48 hours earlier, as she recorded a 6-1, 7-5 win over France’s Elsa Jacquemot.Meanwhile, French Open runner-up Maja Chwalinska was just one point from victory in her Wimbledon first-round match before a slip while chasing deep behind the baseline on match point, turned the contest, where she led 6-2, 5-2, on its head.The Pole, who enjoyed a surprise run to the Roland Garros final in June, looked on course to carry that momentum into SW19 as she led Mananchaya Sawangkaew before the Thai came through 2-6, 7-5, 6-2.
