Carlos Alcaraz required all five sets to see off Fabio Fognini and avoid a massive Wimbledon upset on Monday afternoon. The Spaniard was pegged back in the second and fourth sets but he found the serving dominance he had been lacking all day to tilt the decider in his favour and send Fognini into what is most likely his Wimbledon retirement.
The Centre Court crowd adored showman Fognini on a red-hot opening afternoon, with the 38-year-old Italian coming close to notching his first tour-level win of 2025 in the most unlikely circumstances. The match was briefly paused in the fifth set as medical staff tended to a member of the crowd, and young gun Alcaraz kicked on to victory thereafter.
The defending champion said: "I have to give [Fognini] the credit of playing such a great match. He is a great player. He has shown the level and the talent he has. I am just a little bit sad that this might be his last Wimbledon but I am happy to have shared the court with him."
Relive the match as it happened by following Express Sport's game-by-game updates below...
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