Iga Swiatek survives first-round scare to advance at Wimbledon 2026

Defending champion Iga Swiatek recovered from a second-set setback to beat Taylor Townsend in three sets and reach the Wimbledon second round. Amanda Anisimova and Karolina Pliskova also advanced comfortably with straight-set victories in their opening matches

London: Defending champion Iga Swiatek survived a huge scare before winning her opening match against the world No.79 Taylor Townsend in three sets at the 2026 Wimbledon at the All-England Club in London on Tuesday, joining last year’s finalist Amanda Anisimova and Karolina Pliskova in the second round.

The Polish star won her last 20 games here last year to lift her sixth Grand Slam title, and the world No.3 continued in the same vein as she raced to the first set on her return to Centre Court in only 31 minutes.

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But cheered on by her friends Naomi Osaka and Katerina Siniakova, the American left-hander Townsend fought back to level the match and force a deciding set.

However, Swiatek held her nerve to win 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 in two hours and two minutes.

There are still only two defending Wimbledon ladies’ champions who have lost in the first round – Steffi Graf in 1994 and Marketa Vondrousova in 2024. Siwatek avoided that fate on Tuesday but will have to be careful in her upcoming matches.

Earlier in the day, Anisimova and Pliskova made confident starts to their campaigns, producing straight-set victories to advance to the second round. While last year’s runner-up Anisimova put the disappointment of her 2025 final behind her with an emphatic display, former finalist Pliskova rolled back the years with a composed victory over fellow Czech Tereza Valentova.

Anisimova, the sixth seed, needed just over an hour to defeat North Macedonia’s Lina Gjorcheska 6-3, 6-2, while Pliskova claimed her first Wimbledon main-draw victory since 2022 by overcoming Valentova 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 15 minutes.

For Anisimova, the opening-round encounter represented a fresh beginning after last year’s heartbreaking championship-match defeat to Iga Swiatek. Returning to the grass courts where she came within one match of the title, the American looked completely at ease from the opening game.

Pliskova’s victory was built on patience, precision, and experience rather than overwhelming dominance. The former world No. 1 continued her impressive record against compatriots, improving her career mark against fellow Czech players to 46-26. Even more notably, she is now 20-7 against younger Czech opponents.

The contest itself was decided by the finest of margins. A single service break proved enough in each set, with Pliskova striking in the eighth game on both occasions.

The victory also marked Pliskova’s 19th career Wimbledon main-draw win and her first at the Championships in four years, offering another encouraging sign as she looks to rebuild momentum on one of her most successful Grand Slam stages.