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WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Wimbledon began Monday with Aryna Sabalenka withdrawing because of a shoulder injury, casting a shadow over the early results as everyone waited to see if Andy Murray would be fit enough to play.
Sabalenka, a two-time Australian Open champion, said it was “heartbreaking” to announce her withdrawal after it became clear during training that she was not ready.
The third seed was considered the favorite to win at the All England Club, where seven women have won in the past seven years.
Ninth seed Maria Sakkari was one of the early winners, saying the women’s singles draw was a close one after beating McCartney Kessler 6-3, 6-1.
“At the moment we have about 20 to 25 girls who can win tournaments,” Sakkari said.
Seventh-seeded Jasmine Paolini, runner-up at last month’s French Open, advanced past the first round of Wimbledon in her fourth try. The Italian beat Sara Sorribes Tormo 7-5, 6-3.
In the men’s tournament, fifth-seeded Daniil Medvedev beat Alexander Kovacevic 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, while eighth-seeded Kasper Ruud beat Alex Bolt 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-4. Unseeded Canadian Denis Shapovalov beat 19th-seeded Nicolas Jarry 6-1, 7-5, 6-4.
Also scheduled to play on Centre Court on Monday were defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and past Grand Slam winners Coco Gauff and Emma Raducane.
Alcaraz, who won his third major title at Roland Garros three weeks ago and defeated Novak Djokovic in last year’s Wimbledon final, will face qualifier Mark Rajar of Estonia on the grass courts of the All England Club on the first day of the tournament.
Raducanu won the 2021 U.S. Open at age 18, but has been plagued by various injuries since then. Her scheduled opponent, 22nd seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, withdrew on Monday morning due to illness. Alexandrova was replaced by Renata Sarazua, who entered the tournament as a so-called “lucky loser” from the qualifying tournament.
Gauff, who won the U.S. Open last September, will close out the day’s schedule in the U.S. Trophy, taking on Caroline Dolehyde in the main stadium.
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner will also be in action on Monday, taking on Yannik Hanfmann on Court No. 1.
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AP Tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis