Shapovalov advances at Wimbledon, Serena Williams out of tourney with injury

Canada's Denis Shapovalov is heading to the second round at Wimbledon.

The No. 10 seed, from Richmond Hill, Ont., beat Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 in a first-round match on Tuesday.

Shapovalov was down 6-5 in the fourth set when rain halted play for three-plus hours.

But Shapovalov broke the world No. 115 to take a 4-3 lead in the fifth set, and held on from there.

Shapovalov had 79 winners, 62 more than Kohlschreiber. But the German made far fewer unforced errors (22) than the Canadian (66).

WATCH | Shapovalov outlasts Germany's Kohlschreiber in 5 sets:

Following lengthy rain delay, Denis Shapovalov advances to Wimbledon 2nd round

3 years ago

Duration 4:01

After a three-plus hours rain delay, No. 10 seed Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., beat Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 to advance to the second round at Wimbledon.

Serena Williams injures leg, out of tourney

Serena Williams stopped playing her first-round match at Wimbledon in the first set Tuesday after she hurt her left leg by slipping during a point, a sudden end to her latest bid for a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title.

Williams was serving in the fifth game at Centre Court, where the roof was shut because of rain much of the afternoon, when she lost her footing near the baseline while hitting a forehand against Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus.

Williams winced and stepped gingerly between points, clearly troubled. After dropping that game, she took a medical timeout and tried to continue playing.

A crying Williams bit her upper lip and covered her face between points. The crowd tried to offer support and encouragement.

WATCH | Serena Williams forced to retire following slip:

Serena Williams retires from Wimbledon after slipping on Centre Court

3 years ago

Duration 4:20

Serena Williams stopped playing her first-round match at Wimbledon in the first set Tuesday after she hurt her left leg by slipping during a point, a sudden end to her latest bid for a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title.

But eventually, the 39-year-old American dropped to her knees, and the chair umpire came over to check on her.

Williams then made her way up to the net to shake hands with Sasnovich, conceding with the score 3-all, 15-30.

"Of course, I am so sad for Serena," said Sasnovich, who is ranked 100th and reached the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2018 for her best Grand Slam result. "She is a great champion. It happens sometimes in tennis. But all the best for her. Best recovery."

Her departure makes a wide-open women's draw even more so. As it was, defending champion Simona Halep and four-time major champ Naomi Osaka withdrew before the tournament started.

Venus Williams posts 90th win in 90th major

Venus Williams accumulated 10 aces Tuesday by smacking serves at up to 183 kilometres per hour — not quite like the old days, but not too shabby, either.

She drove forehands to corners. She made her way to the net for crisp volleys. And when it was all over, the 41-year-old American celebrated her first Wimbledon match win since 2018 by raising her arms and yelling "Come on!" before reprising her familiar smile-and-twirl wave at No. 3 Court.

A five-time singles champion at the All England Club who is making her 23rd appearance here, Williams began her record-extending 90th Grand Slam tournament with her 90th career victory at Wimbledon, beating Mihaela Buzarnescu of Romania 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.

Williams is a former No. 1-ranked player who came into this week ranked 111th and having lost in the first or second round at the past eight majors. That included a first-round exit in 2019 at the All England Club against then-15-year-old Coco Gauff; now 17, Gauff defeated Fran Jones in straight sets Tuesday.

"You can't win them all. Life is about how you handle challenges. Each point is a challenge on the court. No one gives you anything," said Williams, who was diagnosed a decade ago with Sjogren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease that can cause fatigue and joint pain. "I like to think I handle my challenges well."

Federer recovers before Mannarino retires

Sixth seed Roger Federer survived a massive scare against Adrian Mannarino before advancing to the Wimbledon second round on Tuesday when the Frenchman retired with a knee injury after slipping on court.

The match was poised at 6-4 6-7(3) 3-6 6-2 with the eight-times Wimbledon champion forcing a fifth set before Mannarino, who was celebrating his 33rd birthday on Tuesday, decided he could not continue.

Federer was serving with a 4-2 lead in the fourth set when the 41st-ranked Mannarino slipped while attempting a return and twisted his right knee.

"Obviously," Federer acknowledged, "he was the better player."

Federer, at 39 the oldest man in the draw at this year's grass-court Grand Slam, will meet either Frenchman Richard Gasquet or Yuichi Sugita of Japan for a place in the third round.

Novak Djokovic fell twice in the first set of his first-round victory Monday in the main stadium, too.

"I do feel it feels a tad more slippery, maybe, under the roof. I don't know if it's just a gut feeling. You do have to move very, very carefully out there. If you push too hard in the wrong moments, you do go down," Federer said. "I do feel it's drier during the day. With the wind and all that stuff, it takes the moist out of the grass. But this is obviously terrible."