LONDON: At the All England Club on Monday, Carlos Alcaraz started his pursuit of a hat-trick of titles with a fright against Fabio Fognini. Despite this, the Spaniard was far from his sizzling best.
Alcaraz defeated veteran Fognini 7-5 6-7(5) 7-5 2-6 6-1 in over four hours, with air temperatures reaching 32 degrees Celsius. The last set was cut short when a spectator took ill in the heat and needed help.
Bidding to win Wimbledon for the first time, women’s top seed Aryna Sabalenka easily defeated Canadian qualifier Carson Branstine 6-1 7-5, but fourth seed Jasmine Paolini, last year’s runner-up, was pushed hard by Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova in a 2-6 6-3 6-2 victory.
