Under the searing heat of a rare London scorcher, Wimbledon 2025 kicked off with a day packed with drama, endurance, and a flurry of early upsets. As temperatures soared, the opening round at the All England Club delivered everything from marathon battles to emotional home triumphs.
Fognini rolls back the years against Alcaraz
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz was made to sweat in more ways than one as he overcame veteran Italian Fabio Fognini in a five-set thriller that lasted four hours and 37 minutes. The Spaniard, chasing a third straight Wimbledon title, dropped the fourth set heavily but recovered to win 7–5, 6–7 (5), 7–5, 2–6, 6–1. It was a spirited farewell showing from Fognini, who pushed the world No. 3 to his limits in what may be his final Wimbledon appearance.
Sabalenka cruises, Paolini battles through
Top seed in the women's singles draw, Aryna Sabalenka, made light work of her opener, defeating Canadian qualifier Carson Branstine in straight sets. The Belarusian looked sharp from the outset and wasted little time in booking her second-round spot.
Fourth seed Jasmine Paolini came through a more testing encounter against Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova, rallying from a set down to win in three and continue her strong Grand Slam form.
Big names fall early
The day’s biggest surprises came from the men’s draw, where several seeds made early exits. Chile’s Nicolás Jarry pulled off a remarkable comeback from two sets down to stun eighth seed Holger Rune, winning 4–6, 4–6, 7–5, 6–3, 6–4.
France’s Benjamin Bonzi eliminated fifth seed Daniil Medvedev in four sets, while Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas, hampered by a back injury, retired after losing the first two sets to debutant Valentin Royer.
In the women’s draw, home favourite Katie Boulter delighted the British crowd by upsetting ninth seed Paula Badosa in a hard-fought three-set match. The result capped a historic day for British tennis, with a record seven home players advancing to the second round.
British success and more casualties
Elsewhere, 2021 finalist Matteo Berrettini bowed out in five sets to Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak, while 16th seed Francisco Cerundolo, 31st seed Tallon Griekspoor, and Alexei Popyrin all suffered early defeats.
Britain’s Arthur Fery continued the home success story by defeating Popyrin in four sets, joining Boulter and others in giving the home crowd plenty to cheer for.
With Alcaraz surviving a scare and several top seeds tumbling, the opening day at SW19 has already delivered a clear message: this year’s Wimbledon will be anything but predictable.
