London, July 1: Reigning champion Iga Swiatek faced a tough challenge on Tuesday at the All England Club during her first match at Wimbledon, defeating world number 79 Taylor Townsend in three sets. With this victory, Swiatek secured her place in the second round alongside Amanda Anisimova and Karolína Plíšková.
The Polish star, who won her sixth Grand Slam title here last year by clinching her last 20 matches, maintained her momentum on the center court. She quickly took the first set in just 31 minutes. However, encouraged by her friends Naomi Osaka and Kateřina Siniaková, the American left-hander Townsend fought back, leveling the match and pushing it to a decisive third set. Nevertheless, Swiatek held her composure and won the match 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 after two hours and two minutes.
In the history of Wimbledon, only two defending champions have lost in the first round: Steffi Graf in 1994 and Markéta Vondroušová in 2024. Swiatek avoided this unwanted fate on Tuesday but must remain cautious in her upcoming matches.
Earlier in the day, Anisimova and Plíšková both made strong starts to their campaigns, winning their matches in straight sets to advance to the second round. Last year’s runner-up Anisimova put her disappointing 2025 final behind her with a stellar performance, while former finalist Plíšková reminded fans of her past glory with a steady victory over fellow Czech player Teresa Valentova.
The sixth-seeded Anisimova defeated North Macedonia’s Lina Gjorcheska 6-3, 6-2, while Plíšková secured her first Wimbledon main draw win since 2022 by beating Valentova 6-3, 6-4. For Anisimova, this opening round match felt like a fresh start after her heartbreaking loss to Swiatek in last year’s championship match.
Plíšková’s victory was built on patience, precision, and experience rather than sheer dominance. The former world number one maintained her impressive record against players from her own country, improving her career record against Czech players to 46-26.
The match’s outcome was determined by narrow margins, with only one service break in each set proving decisive. Plíšková gained the lead in both instances during the eighth game. This victory marked her 19th win in the Wimbledon main draw and her first championship win in four years.
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