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July 3 (UPI) — Despite wet weather, Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek triumphed in their Wimbledon 2023 openers, effortlessly defeating their opponents in straight sets on a rain-delayed day in London.
Swiatek, the top-seeded player in the WTA Tour singles rankings, defeated Lin Zhu of China, ranked No. 34, with a score of 6-1, 6-3 on Court No. 1.
The Polish tennis star needed only 81 minutes to secure the victory, which included a 25-minute rain suspension at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club.
“I feel extremely confident and pleased with my performance on the grass,” Swiatek expressed to the audience in her post-match interview. “When I stepped onto the court, I felt incredible. I’m truly grateful to be here and have the opportunity to play my game.”
Throughout the match, Swiatek displayed 22 winners, 16 unforced errors, and converted 5 of 10 break point opportunities. On the other hand, Zhu made seven winners and 17 unforced errors, while converting 1 of 4 break point chances.
In the next round, Swiatek will face either Martina Trevisan of Italy (ranked No. 64) or Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain (ranked No. 84).
Other notable women’s players such as Jessica Pegula (No. 4), Caroline Garcia (No. 5), Daria Kasatkina (No. 10), Veronika Kudermetova (No. 12), and Victoria Azarenka (No. 20) also advanced early on Monday at Wimbledon.
Djokovic headlined the men’s singles circuit with a dominant 6-3, 6-3, 7-6(4) victory over Pedro Cachin of Argentina (ranked No. 68).
The Serbian tennis star, a strong contender for the title and currently ranked No. 2 in the ATP Tour singles rankings, recorded a total of 13 aces and 45 winners during the 2-hour, 12-minute match, which also experienced a delay of nearly 90 minutes.
“I never take any match or any minute I spend on this court for granted,” Djokovic declared. “I am truly blessed, and it’s an incredible feeling to be here.”
Djokovic’s next opponent will be Jordan Thompson of Australia (ranked No. 70) in the second round. Thompson advanced with a hard-fought five-set victory over Brandon Nakashima of the United States (ranked No. 55).
Casper Ruud (No. 4), Andrey Rublev (No. 7), Lorenzo Musetti (No. 16), and Hubert Hurkacz (No. 18) were among the other top men’s players to progress on Monday morning at Wimbledon.
Carlos Alcaraz (No. 1), Daniil Medvedev (No. 3), Stefanos Tsitsipas (No. 5), Holger Rune (No. 6), and Frances Tiafoe (No. 10) will also compete in the first round of the men’s singles tournament on Tuesday.
Aryna Sabalenka (No. 2), Elena Rybankina (No. 3), Ons Jabeur (No. 6), Maria Sakkari (No. 8), Petra Kvitova (No. 9), and Barbora Krejcikova (No. 11) are some of the top women’s players who will begin their Wimbledon journeys on Tuesday as well.
The women’s singles final is scheduled for July 15, while the men’s singles final will take place on July 16. First-round Wimbledon coverage will air until 5 p.m. EDT on Monday and resume at 6 a.m. on Tuesday on ESPN.
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