Andreescu downs Cristian, Shapovalov upsets Jarry on Day 1 of Wimbledon
Osaka wins at tourney for 1st time in 6 years; Sabalenka, Azarenka leave with injuries
Bianca Andreescu powered into the second round at Wimbledon on Monday while fellow Canadian Denis Shapovalov produced one of the first upsets at the grass-court Grand Slam.
The 24-year-old Andreescu, from Mississauga, Ont., defeated Romania's Jaqueline Cristian 6-4, 6-2 as she continues her comeback from injury.
Shapovalov moved on with a 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 opening-round win over No. 19 Nicolas Jarry of Chile.
Andreescu had three aces, including one on match point, and broke Cristian four times on nine chances.
The 2019 U.S. Open winner also scored 10 of 11 net point chances while facing break point just once, which Cristian converted.
Andreescu made her return at the French Open after missing nearly 10 months with a back injury, then opened the grass season with a runner-up performance at the Libema Open in the Netherlands.
She will next face 26th seed Linda Noskova as she looks to improve on her career-best third-round showing at the All England Club last year.
Shapovalov had nine aces in the match and broke Jarry four times while saving both break points he faced.
The former world No. 10 from Richmond Hill, Ont., hit 29 winners to Jarry's 19 and scored 98 points in total.
The 25-year-old Canadian, who entered the match ranked 121st in the world, will next face Germany's Daniel Altmaier.
Shapovalov advanced to the Round of 16 at Wimbledon last year. He made it to the semifinals at the All England Club in 2021 before losing to top seed and eventual champion Novak Djokovic.
Osaka wins at Wimbledon for 1st time in 6 years
Naomi Osaka had not won a match at Wimbledon in six years. Hadn't even played there in five. Grass courts never were her favorite surface.
Twelve months ago at this time, Osaka was off the tour while becoming a mother — her daughter, Shai, turns 1 on Tuesday — and recalls flipping on the TV in the hospital and seeing a certain Grand Slam event on the screen.
Meanwhile, Defending men's champion Carlos Alcaraz won easily over qualifier Mark Lajal, 7-6 (3), 7-5, 6-2.
Lajal proved to be something of a speedbump for Alcaraz, who acknowledged that his 269th-ranked Estonian opponent "surprised me a little bit" on Day 1 at the All England Club.
Alcaraz, who won his third major championship at the French Open three weeks ago, defeated Novak Djokovic in last year's final on the grass at Wimbledon but said he was still nervous before Monday's match.
Earlier, Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka both pulled out of the tournament because of respective shoulder injuries.
With files from The Associated Press
