Alexander Zverev loses in the first round of Wimbledon
German tennis player Alexander Zverev, seeded number three, suffered an unexpected defeat in the first round of Wimbledon against Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech, number 72 in the world. The match, which lasted 4 hours and 40 minutes, ended with scores of 7-6 (3), 6-7 (8), 6-3, 6-7 (5) and 6-4, after resuming this Tuesday after being suspended the previous day.
The effective net game of the Frenchman contrasted with Zverev’s performance, who squandered multiple opportunities to break his opponent’s serve throughout the match.
Despite winning the second set in a close tiebreak, Zverev, who reached the final of the Australian Open and the semifinals in Halle this year, showed inconsistencies at crucial moments of the match.
In the fourth set, on the verge of securing victory, Rinderknech experienced unforced errors that allowed Zverev’s comeback. However, in the decisive set, the German couldn’t maintain the level, losing his serve and allowing Rinderknech to take the victory.
This defeat marks the first time since 2019 that Zverev has fallen in the first round of a tournament of this magnitude, in which he has historically not performed well.
Zverev’s elimination favors Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz on his path to the final, as both players could have faced each other in the semifinals.
Rinderknech will face Chilean Cristian Garín in the next round, who reached the quarterfinals in 2022.Sinner Advances, Musetti Says Goodbye
Jannik Sinner had a successful debut, defeating his compatriot Luca Nardi with a score of 6-4, 6-3, and 6-0. On the other hand, Lorenzo Musetti, a semifinalist from last year, was defeated by Nikoloz Basilashvili with partial scores of 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, and 6-1.
Sinner, current world number one, dominated Nardi in just one hour and 49 minutes. With 29 winning shots and impeccable service, Sinner secured his advance in the tournament.
The Italian will seek to surpass the semi-finals reached in 2023, his best result at Wimbledon so far.
His next rival will be the Australian Aleksandar Vukic.
The surprise was the defeat of Lorenzo Musetti, who seems not to have recovered from physical problems. Musetti, a semi-finalist in 2024, had not competed since Roland Garros.Surprises in the Women’s Draw
The women’s tournament has also brought surprises, with the eliminations of Jessica Pegula and Qinwen Zheng, both within the top ten.
Pegula, the third seed, fell to Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto with a score of 6-2 and 6-3, possibly affected by fatigue.
For her part, Zheng, the sixth seed, was defeated by Katerina Siniakova in a match that ended 7-5, 4-6 and 6-1.
Barbora Krejcikova, current champion, advanced after defeating Alexandra Eala.Kvitova Bids Farewell to Wimbledon
Petra Kvitova, two-time Wimbledon champion, was eliminated by American Emma Navarro, with a score of 6-3 and 6-1.
Kvitova, who announced her retirement after the US Open, is saying goodbye to the tournament.
