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Wimbledon 2026 LIVE: Alex de Minaur’s tournament begins; Serena Williams, Maya Joint and Iga Swiatek also in action

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Source :- THE AGE NEWS

That probably not the ideal start Alex De Minaur and his team envisioned for his Wimbledon campaign.

The Australian lost the first three opening games, but managed to hold is his service game to win the fourth.

De Minaur and coach Lleyton Hewitt earlier in the week. Getty Images

As commentators note, there’s a soft wind today which may be impacting play.

It’s 3-1 in the first set.

Let’s get started.

De Minaur has had a slow start and Burruchaga has capitalised, taking the first three games.

After a long rally, Burruchaga smashes his ball into the net, but moments later recovers with an ace and a breakpoint.

It’s 3-0 in the first set.

Alex de Minaur has lost in the first round at Wimbledon just once in seven past visits, in 2021 to American Sebastian Korda.

The world No.6 and fifth seed has nothing like that type of difficult draw today, facing Argentine claycourt specialist Roman Andres Burruchaga, who has lost his only two grasscourt matches.

Katie Boulter was defeated by Caterina Grant. Getty Images

Demon’s fiancee, Katie Boulter, suffered a disappointing straight-sets exit to Italian qualifier Tyra Caterina Grant on the same court before his match.

If de Minaur advances, he looks certain for a rematch with French veteran Adrian Mannarino, who is two sets and 4-0 up in his opener

In the first round of Wimbledon, Aussie Alex de Minaur is facing Argentina’s Roman Andres Burruchaga.

But who is Burruchaga?

Ale de Minaur at practice at Wimbledon on Friday.Getty Images

The 24-year-old hails from sporting royalty.

His father, Jorge Burruchaga, is an Argentine football legend who scored the game-winning goal in the 1986 World Cup Final.

Sam Stosur isn’t buying Serena Williams’ personal narrative in this unlikeliest of comebacks.

“I don’t need to win,” is Williams’ public war cry for her highly anticipated Wimbledon return, almost four years after she lost what was supposed to be the last singles match of her extraordinary career to Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic at the 2022 US Open.

Serena Williams leaves the practice court with daughter Olympia and her husband Alexis Ohanian.Getty Images

Williams is a 23-time grand slam champion – seven of those titles were won at the All England club – who sits comfortably alongside fellow greats Margaret Court, Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and Helen Wills Moody.

Sports leviathans Michael Jordan, George Foreman, Michael Phelps and Mario Lemieux made comebacks after years away with mixed results.

Like Williams, Kim Clijsters, Caroline Wozniacki, Naomi Osaka, Elina Svitolina and Belinda Bencic returned to tennis after giving birth. But they were all far younger than Williams.

The 44-year-old mother of two, who plays Australian up-and-comer Maya Joint on centre court early on Wednesday morning (AEST), is adamant she has nothing to prove, which her big sister Venus echoed when she spoke to reporters on Saturday.

Good evening,

Welcome to our Wimbledon live blog. I’m Hannah Kennelly and thanks so much for joining us.

Aussie Alex de Minaur’s tournament begins tonight, after 9.10pm.

We’ll bring you live updates and we’ve got tennis reporter Marc McGowan in London providing insight and analysis.

Grab your popcorn and stay tuned

Another grand slam, another grand entrance from Naomi Osaka.

The Japanese former world No.1 made global headlines at this year’s Australian Open when she strode onto Rod Laver Arena in a lavish, jellyfish-inspired outfit before continuing her fashion tour in a glittering gold ensemble at Roland-Garros.

Now, it was Wimbledon’s turn.

Osaka stole the show again as she walked out in an all-white gown inspired by Japanese ceremonial dress.AP Photo/Maja Smiejkowska

Abiding by the All England club’s strict all-white policy, Osaka walked out for her first-round match – which she won 6-1, 7-5 over France’s Elsa Jacquemot – in what British Vogue described as a “love letter to Japanese ceremonial dress”.