Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek sobbed on the court after narrowly avoiding a first-round exit against world No 79 Taylor Townsend to kick off her title defence on Centre Court.
After shaking hands with her opponent, the world No 3 headed to her towel and openly wept into the fabric, visibly emotional after winning 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 for several minutes while Townsend headed off court.
‘I’m not sure if I’m able to talk that much,’ Swiatek admitted after she had collected herself for her on-court interview. ‘It was a tough couple of weeks, and not a season where everything went how I wanted, so I don’t think I won any three-set matches. I’m happy that I did it here.
‘Obviously it means a lot, opening the court as the defending champion – (I’m) just happy to be here.’
The Polish star had started the match in dominant fashion, romping through the first set to claim it 6-1, but suffered a dramatic drop in form in the second, with her forehand sharply ineffective and serve attackable.
Doubles specialist Townsend – who was watched by her close friend on the tour Naomi Osaka and partner Katerina Siniakova – then turned the tables dramatically, taking advantage of her opponent’s dip in form to seize the second set 6-3.
Iga Swiatek was left in floods of tears after she came nail-bitingly close to a first-round defeat
Swiatek was almost undone by doubles specialist Taylor Townsend in three rollercoaster sets
Swiatek nearly lost the third set within minutes, battling through a gritty opening service game that saw the duo play through nine deuces, and the 25-year-old survive four break points, before she could see out the hold of serve.
Swiatek had lost seven of her last eight matches across three sets, with the Polish player often struggling with a third-set collapse after an almost peerless start to her game.
In sharp contrast, Tuesday also saw her opponent in the 2025 final, Amanda Anisimova, begin her own campaign at SW19, one year on from her record-breaking 6-0, 6-0 defeat at the hands of a ruthless Swiatek.
The 24-year-old had wrestled her season back under control admirably after the thrashing, reaching her second-ever Grand Slam final at the US Open just months later.
But her start to 2026 has been peppered by injury, with Anisimova withdrawing from her pre-tune up tournament in Berlin two weeks ago following a flare-up after playing Queen’s.
Anisimova was keen to tamp down the significance of the black cloud of last year’s Centre Court performance overhanging her return, and stressed after her 6-3, 6-2 win against qualifier Lina Gjorcheska that she views every tournament ‘like it’s a new week and a new tournament.’
‘It was a year ago, so it’s not like I started playing this match thinking about the final, or anything last year,’ she added.
Regardless, Anisimova started with a point to prove from the first ace she scythed down towards the qualifier. Shoulders dropped after holding the opening game to love, Anisimova could revel in the first game she had won on Wimbledon grass since her titanic semi-final defeat of world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
Townsend was supporter by fellow player Naomi Osaka (centre) and her doubles partner Katerina Siniakoa (right)
Her opponent in last year’s final barely broke a sweat despatching qualifier Lina Gjorcheska
On the other side of the net, Gjorcheska was the debutante this time, at 31 years and 330 days old the oldest women’s singles player to make their first appearance in a Grand Slam main draw, and the first from North Macedonia too.
Support from her proud compatriots peppered the ground, but proved no balm for the understandable nerves – most evident in her eight double faults.
But despite outclassing her opponent by some distance, Anisimova was determined to hold herself to the highest standards.
Visibly irritated that she failed to put the first set to bed at 5-2, Anisimova let out a shout of frustration, and so piqued was she that she had been unable to see out the second 6-1, she railed loudly against her ‘horrible’ attempt to return Gjorcheska’s serve.
After losing her grip on last year’s final so dramatically, Anisimova appeared in pursuit of perfection – and should prove up for the fight in her second-round match-up against former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.
