Sports29 June, 20262 min read
Maja Chwalinska Falls to Thai Qualifier Mananchaya Sawangkaew as Cameron Norrie Exits Wimbledon
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Norrie eliminated in first round by Michael Zheng in five sets. Match duration described as four hours by ESPN and gruelling five-set by BBC.
Day 1 shocks at Wimbledon
Upsets defined opening day at Wimbledon on Monday as No. 20 seed Maja Chwalinska of Poland lost to Thai qualifier and current World No. 164 Mananchaya Sawangkaew after slipping on the baseline and appearing to roll her ankle.
The match ended with Sawangkaew taking the second set 7-5 and then securing a 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 victory for her first ever main draw win at a major.
In the men’s draw, No. 26 seed Cameron Norrie was eliminated in a five-set match by American qualifier Michael Zheng, with Zheng winning 6-7(7) 6-2 6-7(2) 6-3 7-6(10-4) on Court 2.
The BBC also described the day as brutal for Britain, saying 10 of the 11 Britons in action on the opening day fell to defeat, with Norrie the only British seeded player to feature in either singles draw.
Brits, qualifiers, and quotes
Norrie’s loss came after he was twice reeled back in by Zheng after being a set up, and the BBC said it was the first time he had lost in the first round at Wimbledon since 2018. After the defeat, Norrie said: "It always stinks to lose, especially at Wimbledon, my favourite tournament in the world, a tournament I always play so well at."
The Wimbledon match narrative also highlighted Zheng’s performance, with the Wimbledon site noting he sent down 21 aces and that he won the match tie-break 10-4. In the same upset, ESPN reported that Zheng, 22, won 6-7 (7-9), 6-2, 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 7-6 (10-4) to oust Norrie, who reached the quarterfinals last year.
What’s next for the draw
The BBC said the catalogue of defeats amounted to the most British singles players to have lost on Wimbledon's opening day since daily records began in 2000, with the record of 16 first-round British singles defeats at Wimbledon potentially exceeded when remaining players take to the court on Tuesday. It also reported that Jack Draper announced his withdrawal 24 hours before his opening match because of injury, following Emma Raducanu's withdrawal on the eve of the Championships.
In the women’s draw, the London Evening Standard described Harriet Dart’s match against Jelena Ostapenko being moved to No 1 Court due to Raducanu’s withdrawal, with Dart losing 6-3 3-6 6-4. Meanwhile, Devdiscourse said the first day included top-seed Aryna Sabalenka’s win over Teodora Kostovic on Centre Court and Daniil Medvedev’s win over Marin Cilic, setting up a tournament that combined seeded debuts with early exits.