Best of Wimbledon Round 1: Swiatek escapes, Swan rises and Serena returns

The curtains have drawn on the Wimbledon first round with no shortage of drama, excellence and star power.

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For three weeks, attention centered on the tournaments that shape the path to the All England Club and the players who emerged as "ones to watch" during the brief but cherished Grass-Court Swing. But when Belinda Bencic became the first winner of the 2026 edition of Wimbledon, all that went out the window.

In place of the usual talking points that accompany the buildup to a Grand Slam, the focus shifted back to the sport's biggest names and how they looked on court. Among the most discussed: defending Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek, World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, 2022 champion Elena Rybakina and Mirra Andreeva, the winner of the most recent Slam at Roland Garros.

And of course, Serena Williams' singles return dominated conversation.

Swiatek escapes

Swiatek's Wimbledon title last year came as a bit of a surprise. Not because the now six-time Grand Slam champion lacked the ability, but because she had never produced that level of success on grass. Then she delivered one of the most dominant finals in tournament history, a 6-0, 6-0 dismantling of Amanda Anisimova to claim the trophy.

Before Tuesday, that was her last appearance on Centre Court. And while she didn't recreate that absurd level, she escaped with a three-set win over Taylor Townsend to reach the second round.

At the end of the day, surviving is half the battle. Just ask Jannik Sinner, who gutted out a five-setter against Miomir Kecmanovic in his opener. Between Swiatek's recent form and the pressure of returning as the defending champion, the match was bound to be a test.

"It was tough couple of weeks, not a season where everything went how I wanted," Swiatek explained in her on-court interview. "I don't think I won any three-set match this year, so I'm happy that I could do it here, because obviously it means a lot opening the court as defending champion."

Townsend deserves credit as well. She has shown she can push top players and was one of several who troubled big names in the opening round. Rybakina was taken to three sets by Lois Boisson, who famously was denied a Wimbledon wild card last year after her Roland Garros breakthrough.

Jasmine Paolini went the distance with 's-Hertogenbosch champion Robin Montgomery, while Eastbourne champ Madison Keys rallied from a set down against qualifier and fellow American Kayla Day. Emma Navarro also came from a set down to beat Paula Badosa after arriving fresh off runs to the Nottingham final and Bad Homburg quarterfinals.

Swan rises

If someone had told you before the tournament that a Brit named Katie, dating an Australian named Alex, would reach Round 2, you might first have said, "That's oddly specific," and then, after a moment, "Well, Katie Boulter has made the second round five years in a row," if you're a ball-knower.

But even after Boulter fell in straight sets to rising Italian Tyra Caterina Grant, the prediction still proved correct. Her fellow Katie -- Katie Swan -- earned her first Wimbledon win in eight years, defeating Irina-Camelia Begu 6-4, 6-4 in 1 hour and 23 minutes on Tuesday.

The 27-year-old had last played Wimbledon in 2023 before a back injury sidelined her for much of the past two seasons. She resurfaced in the tennis mainstream earlier this year as an injury replacement at the United Cup, where she pushed Naomi Osaka to a first-set tiebreak before falling in straight sets.

Since then, she has won ITF titles at the W35 in Fukuoka and the W75 in Kurume and reached the Ilkley quarterfinals after returning to the Top 200. She'll face Keys in the second round with a chance to continue her rise and reach her first Wimbledon third round. The pressure will be immense: Of the eight British women who entered the singles main draw, Swan is the last remaining hope.

Serena returns

It wouldn't be the "Best of Round 1" without mentioning the return of one of the GOATs of not just women's tennis but tennis as a whole -- especially after coming back at 44 and producing a performance that pushed Maya Joint to three sets in her first singles match since the 2022 US Open.

Joint won 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3 in a 2-hour, 22-minute thriller on Centre Court in one of the most definitive clashes of youth vs. experience we may ever see. And what a treat it was.

This season has not gone according to plan for Joint after last year's breakthrough. She had lost her last 11 WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz matches dating back to January and entered with a 2-11 main-draw record. But on Tuesday, the 20-year-old withstood the pressure of Williams, who came from a break down in the second set, saved a match point in the tiebreak and went up a break in the decider.

To Williams' credit, she was competitive and flashed her trademark serve even after four years away, hitting 122 mph to save that first match point. But the day belonged to Joint, who had fallen to World No. 87 after failing to defend her Eastbourne title and desperately needed a win. This one will go down as one of the most meaningful of her career.

"She's such a legend," Joint said in her on-court interview. "I've been dreaming about this moment since I was a little kid. This is pretty crazy."

Quick hitters

Southeast Asia making waves

Janice Tjen, another 2025 breakout star, made it three second-round appearances in her past four Slams with a straight-sets win over No. 22 seed Leylah Fernandez -- who she also beat at the Australian Open in January. She is one of four Southeast Asian players in the draw, and all four (Alexandra Eala, Mananchaya Sawangkaew, Lanlana Tararudee and Tjen) advanced.

Seeds fall

Sawangkaew saved a match point to beat Roland Garros finalist Maja Chwalinska 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 for her first Grand Slam main-draw win. Chwalinska fell and hurt her ankle on match point and never looked the same. She and Fernandez joined No. 24 Clara Tauson, No. 27 Anastasia Potapova, No. 28 Ann Li, No. 31 Donna Vekic and, most notably, No. 8 seed Elina Svitolina among early exits.

Svitolina bows out

Svitolina's loss was both surprising and disappointing after what has been a career year to this point. She was a favorite to advance deep into the tournament but instead fell to compatriot Daria Snigur, who advanced out of the first round of a Slam for just the third time and earned her third win over a Top 10 opponent.

Siniakova's deja vu

No. 32 seed Katerina Siniakova again found her way through, surely experiencing a bit of deja vu after beating Zheng Qinwen in the Wimbledon first round for the third time in four years. Forget the 12 Grand Slams and two Olympic golds -- this recurring result stands as one of the quirkiest stats in her decorated career.

Superlatives

Okay, but where's the fun stuff? Don't worry, the superlatives from the Roland Garros edition haven't been forgotten.

• Longest match -- Kamilla Rakhimova def. Anhelina Kalinina 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 in 2 hours, 46 minutes.
• Best match -- Dayana Yastremska saved four match points to beat Aoi Ito 7-6 (1), 4-6, 7-5 in 2 hours, 25 minutes.
• Best dressed -- Off court: Osaka, obviously. On court: Marta Kostyuk, whose stunning wedding dress-inspired kit looked as good in action as it did in concept photos.

• Best quote -- Williams: "It was really great to be back at Wimbledon. I never expected to be here. The atmosphere was amazing. Walking out was amazing. I definitely relished it and missed it and enjoyed the moment more than anything." 
• Round 2 Match to Watch -- There are so many options, but drumroll please. It's a tie! Andreeva vs. former Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, and a battle between former World No. 1s Swiatek and Karolina Pliskova.