CARLOS Alcaraz, the two-time defending Wimbledon champion, faced an unexpected test in his opening match on Monday (Tuesday, July 1, 2025, PH time), battling for over four and a half hours against the much older and lower-ranked Fabio Fognini on Centre Court.
Alcaraz ultimately emerged victorious with a 7-5, 6-7 (5), 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 scoreline, extending his career-best winning streak to 19 matches.
The 22-year-old Alcaraz, already a five-time Grand Slam champion — including his recent French Open triumph three weeks prior — was expected to have a far easier time.
In stark contrast, the 38-year-old Fognini, who plans to retire after this season, has never advanced past the third round in 15
Wimbledon appearances.
His sole Grand Slam quarterfinal came way back at the 2011 French Open, and he entered Monday’s match ranked 138th with a 0-6 record in 2025.
Adding to the historical context, only twice has a reigning men’s Wimbledon champion been defeated in the first round the following year: Lleyton Hewitt in 2003 and Manuel Santana in 1967.
Below his best
There were moments during the match when Alcaraz seemed far from the dominant form he displayed in his epic five-set, five-and-a-half-hour comeback victory over Jannik Sinner at Roland-Garros.
He committed nine double faults, faced a remarkable 21 break points and hit more unforced errors (62) than winners (52). At one point, a frustrated Alcaraz even quipped to his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, that Fognini looked capable of playing until he
was 50.
When Fognini claimed the fourth set after an Alcaraz forehand sailed long, the Italian gestured to his box, where a member of his team captured the moment on a cellphone — a perfect snapshot for Fognini.
However, as the fifth set began — marking the first time since Roger Federer in 2010 that a reigning men’s champion was pushed to a deciding set in the opening round — Alcaraz recalibrated.
He broke Fognini to take a 2-0 lead with a backhand volley winner, celebrating with a pointed finger to the stands, an uppercut and a cry
of “Vamos!”
In the next game, he saved a pair of break points before play was halted for over 10 minutes due to a spectator falling ill amid record-breaking high temperatures on Day 1 of Wimbledon.
Upon resumption, Alcaraz reasserted his dominance, outplaying Fognini for the remainder of the match to secure the hard-fought victory. / FROM THE WIRES