Leylah Fernandez wins Wimbledon opener in 3 sets against Ukrainian opponent

Leylah Fernandez continued as Felix Auger-Aliassime suffered an upset loss in the first round at Wimbledon in England on Monday.

Fernandez, of Laval, Que., defeated Kateryna Baindl of Ukraine 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to record her first major draw win at the All England Club.

She suffered a first-round exit on her only other grass court Grand Slam appearance in 2021.

Auger-Aliassime of Montreal, seeded 11th in the men’s draw, was ousted by American lucky loser Michael Mmoh, who recorded a 7-6 (4), 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4), 6 -4 victory.

Auger-Aliassime, playing for the first time since a first-round loss to Fabio Fognini at the French Open, had 17 aces to Mmoh’s 12 and hit 10 more winners than his opponent, but was eliminated by 64 unforced errors.

Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ontario had his match against Romania’s Radu Albot suspended due to darkness. Albot led the game 7-5, 2-2.

Fernandez, a 20-year-old southpaw, won only 65 percent of her first serve points, but broke 29-year-old Baindl’s serve six times en route to victory.

LOOK | Fernandez breaks Baindl 6 times in Wimbledon victory:

The Canadian, ranked 95th in the world entering the tournament, faces a tough match against No. 5 Caroline Garcia of France in the next round.

Mmoh took advantage of consistent service play to win his first career match against Auger-Aliassime.

The American was accurate on 71 percent of his first services and won 82 percent of first service points, compared to 60 percent and 80 percent for Auger-Aliassime.

Auger-Aliassime fell to 13-11 this season, a stark contrast to a 2022 campaign that saw him win four ATP Tour titles, climb to sixth in the world rankings and lead Canada to its first-ever Davis Cup title.

He lost in the first round of Wimbledon for the second year in a row after reaching the quarterfinals in 2021.

LOOK | Mid-season continues for Auger-Aliassime in England:

Auger-Aliassime upset by lucky loser Mmoh in Wimbledon opener

Number 11 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal fell to American Michael Mmoh 7-6(4), 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 6-4 in the first round at Wimbledon.

Djokovic won the first 2 majors of the year

Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek progressed with straight wins on Monday despite a rain delay as Wimbledon got underway.

Venus Williams and Coco Gauff are among the other big names in action later in Day 1.

It is the third major tournament of the year and Djokovic won the first two: the Australian Open in January and the French Open in June. That puts him halfway through the first calendar year Grand Slam in men’s tennis since 1969. He came close to the feat in 2021, falling just one win short when he lost in the final of the US Open.

He is aiming for a fifth straight title at the All England Club and eighth overall, both of which would tie men’s records.

Djokovic’s title at Roland Garros was his 23rd at a Slam event, breaking a tie with Rafael Nadal for the men’s title in that category.

Djokovic, the No. 2 seed, defeated Pedro Cachin 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (4) after a rain relay that lasted over an hour. Groundkeepers used leaf blowers to dry the grass.

“Of course it was absolutely frustrating for the whole crowd. For us players, we both wanted to play, but the conditions weren’t great, obviously still slippery,” Djokovic said of the delay.

Swiatek better prepared for 2023 tournament

The 36-year-old Serb used a towel to dry off some wet spots: “Normally I come out with rackets, not towels.”

Swiatek, who holds four major titles but has not progressed past the fourth round at the All England Club, defeated China’s Zhu Lin 6-1, 6-3 at No. 1 to win the last two games after the roof closed after a rain delay.

Swiatek said that after her title at the French Open this year, she feels better prepared for the major on the grass court.

“After Roland Garros,” she said on court, “I really took the time to just appreciate what happened. Last year when I won Roland Garros, it was my second Grand Slam, so it still felt overwhelming , but this time I could really focus on celebrating and actually getting back to work with more peace of mind and I’m trying to be open minded for the grass season and I think it’s working. Hopefully I can keep that mindset.”

Barbora Strycova, a semifinalist in 2019, became the first winner of this year’s tournament by beating Maryna Zanevska 6-1, 7-5. In the men’s event, seventh-seeded Andrey Rublev defeated Max Purcell 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 on No. 3 Court.

Djokovic is followed in the main stadium by Williams, a 43-year-old entering the sport’s oldest major tournament for the 24th time against Elina Svitolina of Ukraine. Williams – whose younger sister Serena retired after last season – won five of her seven Grand Slam singles trophies at Wimbledon.

After Swiatek on No. 1 Court, three-time Grand Slam runner-up Casper Ruud played Laurent Lokoli. And then Gauff, a 19-year-old American who was a French Open finalist last year, will face 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.

Venus Williams injured early in round 1 loss

Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams lost in the first round of her 24th appearance at the All England Club.

Williams fell to the ground early on Center Court against Elina Svitolina, and her right knee was treated twice by a trainer, including being taped during a medical timeout after the second set.

The 43-year-old American continued to play, but failed to beat 2019 Wimbledon semifinalist Svitolina on Monday in a 6-4, 6-3 defeat on the grass Grand Slam tournament.

Williams was the oldest player in the field this year and the fourth oldest to compete in the main draw at Wimbledon.

Svitolina was only 2 when Williams made her Wimbledon debut in 1997 and only 5 when Williams won the event for the first time.

Elsewhere:

• Something surprising arrived at No. 1 Court, just before dark on Monday, when Coco Gauff, who burst onto the scene at age 15 by defeating Venus Williams in the opening round at Wimbledon, was knocked out by Sofia Kenin 6-4, 4-6, 6 -2 in a highlight match between two Americans.