Jannik Sinner survived a Wimbledon scare to equal the Italian Grand Slam record after an epic comeback

Jannik Sinner reacts during the men’s singles match against Miomir Kecmanovic. (AP photo) LONDON: For the past few seasons there has been little authority to define Jannik Sinner. The defending champion made 52 unforced errors in three hours and 32 minutes, but when his Wimbledon title defense threatened to crumble, he recovered from one set to two to skate away to victory.The 24-year-old secured his 94th Grand Slam match victory with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-2, 6-3 victory over Miomir Kecmanovic, equaling Nicola Pietrangeli’s all-time record for most major match wins by an Italian player.“I was a little tight at the beginning, I didn’t play my best, but I tried to get into it. It was my first official match on grass this year. I’m glad I turned it around. The third set was hard to swallow,” said Sinner. “It was a completely different feeling. Walking down the steps to the court (arriving on it), it’s a lot of nerves. Also knowing that it’s such a prestigious, historic court. Coming back here as the defending champion means a lot to me.”The home crowd at SW19 endured a bruising opening day. Britain’s Jack Draper, the injury-plagued former world No.4, pulled out of the tournament after Emma Raducanu’s late withdrawal on Sunday, although mild afternoon sun offered relief from England’s blazing summer. There was little consolation on center court as Sinner spent most of the afternoon teetering on the edge, struggling with technical, tactical and physical issues.Sinner, playing his first match since his shock second-round exit at Roland Garros last month where he appeared to wilt in the heat, returned to Center Court with questions still hanging over him. Kecmanovičová, the vivacious world No. 50, stood over the net.Little came easy. The Italian’s stroke selection was off, he went for drop shots deep down the baseline and his forehand failed when he gave up serve in the ninth game of the opening set. The twenty-six-year-old Kecmanovic seized the opportunity without hesitation. Even after Sinner went 3-0 up in the second set, his game remained strained. As the temperature climbed to 24°C, he reached for an ice towel.After tying the match, Sinner suffered a nasty fall in the fifth game of the third set and appeared to break his ankle. Center Court held its breath as the defending champion winced in pain before immediately responding with a blistering forehand on the next point, prompting an audible gasp from the crowd. Even so, he couldn’t do it when the Serb took the lead.Encouraged by his box, coaches Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi, who seemed to play every point with him as the world number one repeatedly turned to them at key moments, Sinner did well to get out of trouble. As he moved towards tying the match at two sets apiece, a red stain appeared on one corner of his shoe, causing concern in the stands, although the referee went largely unnoticed.“I’m good, it just looks a lot worse than it is. I’m actually very surprised they let me play because all the white turned red,” he said. “It’s just a nail, I didn’t want to disturb Miomir, we both had a good rhythm. I didn’t want to spend time on it.”Across from Center Court, Naomi Osaka, who withdrew from her previous match, Saturday’s WTA 500 final in Bad Homburg, with a leg injury, arrived on court in a striking kimono-inspired all-white look. Beneath the traditional style, her match outfit was a chic one-piece with floral appliqués, micro ruching and a curved hem.The Japanese star was equally impressive on court, showing no signs of the injury that had plagued her just 48 hours earlier as she cruised to a 6-1, 7-5 win over France’s Elsa Jacquemot.Meanwhile, French Open runner-up Maja Chwalinska was just one point away from winning her Wimbledon first-round match before she slipped as she raced deep down the baseline for a match point, turning a match where she was leading 6-2, 5-2 on its head.The Pole, who enjoyed a surprise run to the Roland Garros final in June, looked to carry that momentum into SW19 as Mananchaya Sawangkaew led before the Thai cruised through 2-6, 7-5, 6-2.