Jannik Sinner's Wimbledon quest is up and running after the world No 1 powered past Luca Nardi in straight sets on another scorching day at the All England Club.
Having lost in dramatic fashion to Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open final last month, the Italian returned to Grand Slam action against his countryman on Court 1 which saw temperatures reaching as high as 34º Celsius.
And three-time major winner Sinner made short work of Nardi, beating the 21-year-old 6-4, 6-3, 6-0 to reach the second round of the only Grand Slam he has yet to reach the final of.
Sinner last week insisted his surprise decision to part with two of his coaching staff on the eve of Wimbledon would not affect his bid to win the tournament for the first time.
The 23-year-old opted to move on from Marco Panichi and Ulises Badio, his trainer and physiotherapist, as he looks for a new direction following the painful defeat to Alcaraz.
“I’m very happy to come back here. It’s such a special place for me,” said Sinner in his on-court interview after beating Nardi in one hour and 48 minutes.
“Playing against an Italian is for us very unfortunate, but one has to go through, so I’m happy that it is me.
“I know it’s very hot, very humid. I don’t remember the last time it was this weather in London.”
Another Italian, seventh seed Lorenzo Musetti, failed to make it through after a surprise defeat against Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili.
Last year's semi-finalist was beaten 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 on a muggy Court 2 by 126th-ranked Basilashvili, who earned his first win in a Grand Slam since reaching the third round at Wimbledon in 2022.
It was also the 33-year-old's first victory over a top-10 player at a Grand Slam.
Australian 11th seed Alex de Minaur wrapped his first-round match in quick fashion with a 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 victory over Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena.
American Tommy Paul, seeded 13, is also safely through after sweeping past home hope Johannus Monday 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.
In the women's draw, defending champion Barbora Krejcikova recovered from an early scare to beat rising Filipino star Alexandra Eala in three sets.
It looked like the Czech could become the second consecutive Wimbledon women’s champion to lose in the first round when she went behind against the 20-year-old.
Last year saw Krejcikova's compatriot and 2023 title winner Marketa Vondrousova become the second women's defending champion in the open era – after Steffi Graf in 1994 – to fall at the first hurdle.
But Krejcikova, who had to withdraw from the grass-court Eastbourne Open last week due to a thigh injury after previously struggling with a debilitating back problem, hit back in style and sealed a 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory on Centre Court.
“I was in a lot of pain in my back and I didn't really know how my career was going to go,” said the 29-year-old. “I'm super happy and super excited that I can be here and that I can play on such a great court.”
World No 3 Jessica Pegula became the highest-ranked player to fall in this year's tournament so far when the American was dispatched in straight sets by Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
The Italian, ranked 116 in the world, ran out a convincing 6-2, 6-3 winner securing only her second victory against a top-10 player, bringing last year's US Open runner-up Pegula's Wimbledon dream to a swift end.
Pegula, who lost in the first round of a Grand Slam for the first time since the 2020 French Open, hailed Cocciaretto's performance on Court 2 as “insane”.
“She played absolutely incredible tennis,” said the 31-year-old. “Hats off to her. Kudos to her for playing at a high level that I couldn't match today.”
Cocciaretto – who never been beyond Round 4 in a Slam – was able to avenge her straight-sets loss to Pegula at Wimbledon two years ago.
Fifth seed Qinwen Zheng is also out after the Olympic champion from China was beaten 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 by the Czech Republic's Katerina Siniakova.
There were no such problems for Polish eighth seed and five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek who brushed aside Polina Kudermetova of Russia 7-5, 6-1.
Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva's 6-3, 6-3 win over Egypt's Mayar Sharif means there will be no Arab players in the second round at SW19, following Ons Jabeur's tearful exit on Monday.
