Wimbledon 2019 news & betting updates

Djokovic nails fifth Wimbledon crown with final-set tiebreak win over Federer

Novak Djokovic claimed his fifth Wimbledon singles title with a scintillating 7-6 1-6 7-6 4-6 13-12 final victory over Roger Federer.

The trophy match went as far as it could, with Wimbledon having imposed a fifth-set tiebreak at 12-12 in the deciding set this year after the All England Club played host to a number of matches in recent seasons which were felt by many to be too long.

Djokovic, the 11-8 market leader ante-post, always maintained he could handle the fact that Federer would have the vast majority of support on Centre Court and eventually saw off the crowd favourite.

The triumph saw the Serb reduce his arrears on the Swiss veteran, who turns 38 next month, to four in terms of major singles titles – Djokovic has now won 16 Grand Slam tournaments.

Djokovic is 8-11 with Betway to break Federer's record of 20 Grand Slam successes, 2-1 to equal the record and 4-1 to fall short.

Federer has been stuck on 20 since his victory in the Australian Open early last year, but the 10-3 second-favourite before Wimbledon started, turned up in south-west London looking fitter than in previous years after contesting the clay season this year. He is 5-1 with Betway to win at the All England Club again before retirement and 7-2 with the firm to claim another Grand Slam title in his career.

Simona Halep overwhelms seven-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams

Simona Halep breezed to the Wimbledon women's title with a straight-sets success against favourite Serena Williams.

Williams was brushed aside in straight sets by Angelique Kerber in the final last year and a similar scenario played out as she chased an eighth title at the All England Club and a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam.

She was thumped 6-2 6-2 by her Romanian challenger, going down in just 56 minutes.

The American 37-year-old was an 8-1 chance pre-tournament and no bigger than 11-20 to get the job done in the final. But she couldn't match Halep, who was excellent in defence and produced arguably her finest ever grass-court performance.

Halep, who was 16-1 for the Wimbledon women's singles before the tournament, dropped just one set on her way to lifting the silverware and is now a two-time Grand Slam winner having reigned supreme at the French Open last season.

Betway offer 7-2 about Serena Williams winning at the All England Club again and 3-1 that she wins another Grand Slam before retirement.

Roger Federer tees up a shot at a ninth Wimbledon crown

It was the 40th chapter of the Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal rivalry and it didn't disappoint.

After three hours and five minutes, it was the Swiss supremo who prevailed in four gruelling sets to book his place in his 12th Wimbledon final.

Federer, who won 7-6 1-6 6-3 6-4, will face Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final as he bids to claim his ninth Wimbledon crown.

The 37-year-old was a 7-2 shot pre-tournament and a Djokovic-Federer final was available at 3-1.

The layers understandably prefer the chances of pre-tournament favourite Djokovic, who is best-priced 1-2 to defend his title. Federer can be backed at 7-4 with Sky Bet.

Resilient Novak Djokovic reaches yet another Grand Slam final

Defending champion Novak Djokovic booked his place in the Wimbledon final and kept his hopes off a fifth All-England Club title alive with a four-set victory over Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut.

Djokovic didn't have things all his own way - he dropped the second set having made 13 unforced errors - but his class shone through and he ran out 6-2 4-6 6-3 6-2 winner. He has dropped just two sets in racking up his six Wimbledon victories this year.

The Serb, who was a 11-8 chance pre-tournament, will contest his 25th Grand Slam final on Sunday and his fifth in his last seven years at Wimbledon.

Serena Williams to meet Simona Halep in women's final

Serena Williams is into a Wimbledon final for the 11th time in her career after the 37-year-old American hammered Barbora Strycova 6-1 6-2 in the women's semi-finals.

The American produced a near-flawless performance against Strycova and will aim to win an eighth crown against Simona Halep on Saturday.

Halep, who won the French Open last year, was in similarly dominant form earlier in the day as she breezed past Elina Svitolina 6-1 6-3 to make her first Wimbledon final.

Murray and Serena sent packing

The fun came to an abrupt end for Andy Murray and Serena Williams, who exited the mixed doubles with a 3-6 6-4 2-6 defeat to top seeds Bruno Soares and Nicole Melichar.

Murray's flirtation with doubles is set to come to an end as he focuses on a return to singles action.

However, the Scot has said it is 'pretty unlikely' that he will compete at this year's US Open.

No stopping Novak

Novak Djokovic produced his most convincing performance of the tournament to breeze past David Goffin 6-4 6-0 6-2.

The Serbian took less than two hours to dismiss Goffin, who was contesting his first Wimbledon quarter-final.

Bautista Agut reaches first Grand Slam semi-final

Something had to give on No. 1 Court where Roberto Bautista Agut and Guido Pella were bidding to reach a Grand Slam semi-final for the first time.

Pella had sprung a few surprises earlier in the tournament, knocking out former Wimbledon finalists Kevin Anderson and Milos Raonic, but he struggled to get to grips with Bautista Agut, who prevailed 7-5 6-4 3-6 6-3.

Bautista Agut advances to a last four clash against Novak Djokovic, who he has beaten twice this year.

Johanna Konta fails to step up on Centre Court once again

Johanna Konta came up short in the Wimbledon semi-finals two years ago and this time the British number one failed to kick on in the quarter-finals after her excellent last-16 victory over Petra Kvitova.

Barbora Strycova was the one to benefit from Konta's below-par show this time as the Czech triumphed 7-6 6-1 to set up a last-four clash with Serena Williams.

Serena Williams edges out gallant compatriot Riske

Serena Williams had to dig deep to deny her fellow American Alison Riske, but the seven-time Wimbledon singles champion saved her best for last to prevail 6-4 4-6 6-3.

Riske had fought back from a set down to defeat Belinda Bencic and world number one and French Open champion Ash Barty in her previous two singles outings, so Williams knew she was in for a battle royal.

And so it proved as Riske broke Williams' serve early on in the two sets the outsider ended up losing.

Former world number one Simona Halep turns it around nicely

Simona Halep started slowly against Shuai Zhang but the former world number one turned it around nicely to win 7-6 6-1 and progress into the semi-finals.

Zhang was fancied by some to upset the Romanian after the Chinese had seen off Dayana Yastremska in the last 16.

But Halep, who ended the hopes of 15-year-old qualifier Cori Gauff in the last 16, took control as the match wore on and hardly gave Zhang a look-in during set two.

Andy Murray could be value to nail best British finish

Johanna Konta is 8-11 market leader with Betway to be the Briton who goes furthest at Wimbledon this year.

The British women's number one, seeded 19th in the singles, is a hot favourite to defeat Barbora Strycova on Tuesday afternoon.

Andy Murray, who is partnering Serena Williams in the mixed doubles - he has already been knocked out of the men's doubles - is 5-4 second favourite on Betway's market.

It's then 15-1 Jamie Murray, who is accompanying Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the mixed doubles - the Scot has already been defeated in the men's doubles - and 30-1 any other Briton.

With Serena likely to meet Konta in the singles semis, the value could lie with Andy Murray.

Cori Gauff is a ridiculously short-priced 7-2 with Coral to win Wimbledon before the end of 2022 following her run to the last 16 of the women's singles this year.

The same firm make the American 15-year-old 13-8 to win any major before the end of 2022 and 3-1 to finish a season as world number one by then.

Konta completes comeback to book place in quarter-finals

Johanna Konta has qualified for the Wimbledon quarter-finals for only the second time in her career after coming from a set down to defeat sixth seed Petra Kvitova.

The British number one has been cut to 12-1 for the title, having also seen off Ana Bogdan, Katerina Siniakova and Sloane Stephens, and she will face Barbora Strycova, a 40-1 shot, in the last eight.

Muchova stuns third seed Pliskova

Serena Williams is 7-4 to win the women's singles title at Wimbledon after second favourite Karolina Pliskova lost her last-16 tie with Czech compatriot Karolina Muchova.

Muchova won 4-6 7-5 13-11, denying spectators the chance to see the first ever Wimbledon 12-12 tie break, to make the last eight of a Grand Slam for the first time.

Bookmakers rate her 66-1 for the title and she will face Elina Svitolina in the quarter-finals.

Halep denies Gauff quarter-final dream

Teenage sensation Cori Gauff's dream of making the last eight in the women's singles at Wimbledon was brought to a halt by seventh seed Simona Halep, who defeated the 15-year-old 6-3 6-3.

The young American caught the media's eye after dispatching veteran Venus Williams in the first round at quotes of 3-1 before seeing off Magdalena Rybarikova and Polona Hercog.

But her meteoric rise came to an end against Halep, who is 4-1 to be named champion and plays Shuai Zhang in the quarter-finals.

Nadal breezes into last eight

Rafael Nadal advanced to the quarter-finals of the men's singles at Wimbledon with his third straight-sets win of the tournament against Portuguese Joao Sousa.

The superb Spaniard is 3-1 with most firms and is second only to market leader Novak Djokovic in the outright betting. He will face either Sam Querrey or Tennys Sandgren in the last eight.

Serena Williams safely through at expense of Suarez Navarro

New market leader Serena Williams has progressed to the quarter-finals of the women's singles at Wimbledon after barely breaking a sweat in her 6-2 6-2 straight-sets defeat of Carla Suarez Navarro.

Most bookmakers go 2-1 about the seven-time Wimbledon champion taking the singles title as she prepares for a last-eight tussle with Ashleigh Barty's conqueror Alison Riske.

Favourite Barty crashes out in round of 16

French Open champion and 6-1 ante-post favourite Ashleigh Barty crashed out of the Wimbledon women's singles after a 6-3 2-6 3-6 defeat to American Alison Riske.

The loss brings an end to a 15-match winning streak for the Australian, who was 1-7 with most firms to progress to the next round. Serena Williams is now the 5-2 favourite for the singles with Sky Bet.

Late-night heartbreak for dogged Brit Dan Evans

It has been a long road back for Dan Evans after a one-year cocaine ban but the controversial Brit won plenty of hearts even if he failed to win his four-hour third-round epic against Joao Sousa.

Evans won the first set before losing the next two but battled hard to level at 2-2. He broke Sousa's serve in the early stages of the decider but the Portuguese returned fire before breaking the Solihull man again to record the victory.

It was a drama-laden contest which ended under the lights of the Court One roof and the winner will be relieved to have a day of rest before he meets Rafael Nadal for a place in the quarter-finals.

Dream team progress in style

Andy Murray and Serena Williams have been described as a mixed doubles dream team and the dynamic duo were in top form to dismiss Andreas Mies and Alexa Guarachi on Centre Court.

The pair broke at the start of both sets and never relinquished control of the contest as they recorded a comfortable 6-4 6-1 victory.

Murray, playing with Pierre-Hugues Herbert, had been knocked out of the men's doubles earlier in the day but didn't make the same mistake alongside the seven-time women's singles champion.

Fabulous Federer thrashes Pouille

Rafael Nadal has already made serene progress earlier on Saturday and his great rival Roger Federer followed suit as he beat Lucas Pouille in straight sets.

Federer, who is chasing a ninth Wimbledon title, was much the better player in the big moments, breaking Pouille at 6-5 in the first set and coming out on top in a third-set tiebreak.

The Swiss maestro sets up a fourth-round meeting with rapidly improving 17th seed Matteo Berrettini on Monday.

If he turns up in the same form he should defeat the Italian, who played out the longest match of the tournament so far against Diego Schwartzman on Saturday.

Johanna Konta takes down Stephens

There is one Brit left in the women's draw after Johanna Konta thrilled the Court One crowd by coming from behind to beat ninth seed Sloane Stephens.

Stephens was at her rock-solid best as she won the opening set 6-3 and the Brit looked in trouble when forced to save three break points at 2-2 in the second before she upped her level to break Stephens and take the match to a decider.

Konta dominated the third set 6-1 to tee up another tough meeting with two-time champion Petra Kvitova on Monday. The powerful Czech leads their personal series 3-1 and won their most recent meeting on the Birmingham grass last year.

But Konta, who is 18-1 for Wimbledon glory, beat Kvitova in Eastbourne in 2016 and will fancy her chances with the home crowd behind her.

Murray bows out in men's doubles

Andy Murray won the doubles title at Queen's but there will be no repeat at Wimbledon, at least not in the men's draw, after the Brit and his partner Pierre-Hugues Herbert were beaten in four sets by Nikola Mektic and Franco Skugor.

Murray and Herbert took the first set in a tiebreak but their opponents came roaring back to silence the Court Two crowd. The Scot partners Serena Williams in mixed doubles on Saturday evening.

Rafael Nadal sweeps aside Tsonga

Rafael Nadal has not won a Wimbledon title since 2010 but the 18-time Grand Slam champ was in rare form as he dismantled old rival Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets on Centre Court.

Tsonga has been blighted by persistent injuries in recent years and the popular Frenchman was powerless to stop Nadal, who showed no ill effects after a gruelling second-round battle with Nick Kyrgios, the Majorcan winning 6-2 6-3 6-3.

Nadal produced his best Wimbledon performance since 2011 when reaching last season's final and the slow pace of the courts at the All England Club appear to be suiting his game.

Goerges no match for Serena Williams

Serena Williams had looked off the pace in edging her first two matches against inferior opponents but the American legend stepped up her bid for an eighth Wimbledon title with a routine victory over Julia Goerges.

Williams, who won 6-3 6-4 in a repeat of her 2018 semi-final meeting with the German, was always in control of the contest and it is likely that she will improve for match fitness as the tournament progresses.

Brilliant Ashleigh Barty hammers Harriet Dart

French Open champion and world number one Ashleigh Barty is showing no signs of slowing down in pursuit of a first Wimbledon title and the Australian put down a marker by blowing away Britain's Harriet Dart in less than an hour.

Tournament favourite Barty, who stretched her winning run to 15 matches, was in sparkling form as she won 6-1 6-1 on Centre Court but she faces a tougher test against Alison Riske in the fourth round after the American shocked Belinda Bencic.

Petra Kvitova powers past Magda Linette

Petra Kvitova came into Wimbledon having not played since the Italian Open in May but the power-packed Czech looks to have fully recovered from an arm injury, as she demonstrated by beating Magda Linette in straight sets.

The two-time champion dismissed the Polish player 6-3 6-2 and looks a huge threat in the second week if she remains healthy.

Teenage star Coco Gauff recovers to beat Hercog

Cori 'Coco' Gauff's rapid rise has been the story of the tournament but the 15-year-old's bid to win the title nearly came to an end on Friday evening against Polona Hercog before the teenager staged a remarkable recovery.

Hercog took the first set 6-3 and surged into a 5-2 lead in the second but Gauff saved two match points before taking the set 9-7 in a thrilling tiebreak. The American tyro then sent the Centre Court crowd into delirium by defeating her Slovenian opponent 7-5 in the third.

Gauff arguably should have lost - Hercog was notably nervous when trying to close out the match - but her steely determination and appetite for a battle defies her years and there was a lot to like about such an impressive comeback.

However, the teenager faces her toughest test to date against former WTA number one Simona Halep after the Romanian eased past Victoria Azarenka in the third round.

Bookmakers make the 2018 French Open champion clear favourite, and punters agree, with the 27-year-old backed from an opening 2-7 down to 2-9 by Saturday afternoon. Gauff is a 7-2 shot to advance to the quarter-finals.

Novak Djokovic needs four sets to dismiss Pole

Novak Djokovic had his toughest test yet at this year's Wimbledon when needing four sets to overcome Hubert Hurkacz 7-5 6-7 6-1 6-4.

The world number one, who is odds-on to retain the grass-court crown, enjoyed bloodless wins in rounds one and two against Philipp Kohlschreiber and Denis Kudla.

The Serb will almost certainly face tougher battles in London in the coming days than he experienced against Hurkacz, but the fact that the Pole took a set off the top seed will give hope to Djokovic's lower-ranked opponents.

Karolina Pliskova toils before edging out Su-Wei Hsieh

Karolina Pliskova, who assumed favouritism for Wimbledon after waltzing to the Eastbourne title last Saturday, picked up where she left off at the All England Club in week one but the Czech made heavy weather of ousting Su-Wei Hsieh 6-3 2-6 6-4 in round three.

Two days of rest could help Pliskova's cause going into fourth-round day on Monday, but the third seed is still a maiden at Grand Slam level and if she shows any sign of fatigue in week two it could come to haunt her.

Newlywed Wozniacki falls short against Shuai Zhang

Caroline Wozniacki got married last month but any hopes that she might belatedly receive the best wedding present of all - a Wimbledon singles title - went out of the window when the Dane lost 6-4 6-2 to Shuai Zhang.

New bride Wozniacki was still looking radiant when she came to London for the grass-court major, but concerns that her fitness might be lacking in the wake of her big day in Tuscany were borne out in her last-64 outing in south-west London.

With Wozniacki's exit, there was only one seed - world number seven Simona Halep - still standing in the fourth quarter of the draw.

Johanna Konta and Petra Kvitova through as Kerber suffers early exit

Two-time champion Petra Kvitova and British number one Johanna Konta kept on course in the singles with straight-sets wins over respective opponents Kristina Mladenovic and Katerina Siniakova, but there was a humbling defeat for last year's trophy winner Angelique Kerber.

The German came up short in a 2-6 6-2 6-1 loss to American lucky-loser Lauren Davis, whose reward is a third-round date with Carla Suarez Navarro.

Smoother sailing for second seed Roger Federer

It was smoother sailing for second seed Roger Federer against Britain's Jay Clarke in a 6-1 7-6 6-2 victory.

Federer dropped the opening set of his first-round clash versus Lloyd Harris, but the eight-time champion had fewer scares against wild-card Clarke on the way to setting up a last-32 meeting with Lucas Pouille.

Dan Evans on song as he takes out Basilashvili in straight sets

Dan Evans is giving the second part of his tennis career his best shot and the British number three surged into the last 32 with a 6-3 6-2 7-6 victory over Nikoloz Basilashvili on day four.

Evans, who served a one-year ban in 2017 and 2018 for taking cocaine, is making the most of things under the guidance of Tim Henman's long-time coach David Felgate.

The draw is opening up nicely for the Birmingham battler, who could rise to second in the national rankings after the grass-court major.

Sloane Stephens on title course as she sends Chinese ace packing

The oddsmakers thought Yafan Wang might cause problems for Sloane Stephens after her fine title triumph in Acapulco in early March, but the American bludgeoned the Chinese talent 6-0 6-2 to send out a title warning.

Stephens, US Open champion in 2017, made the quarter-finals of Wimbledon in 2013. It has been a little surprising that the Floridian hasn't kicked on from that effort on the grass, but she may be about to put things right this year.

Kyle Edmund lets slip huge lead as Verdasco triumphs

Kyle Edmund could go close to winning Wimbledon at his peak, but the Yorkshireman has been below his best this season and paid the price for that when letting slip a huge lead against Fernando Verdasco.

Edmund was matched at 1.01 on Betfair's exchange when two sets to nil up and 3-0 to the good in the third set, but the British number one and 30th seed hit the wall big-time and that enabled Verdasco, who has been in good form all year, to turn the match on its head and win 4-6 4-6 7-6 6-3 6-4.

Verdasco's reward is a last-32 clash with Thomas Fabbiano, a five-set victor over veteran Ivo Karlovic.

Andy Murray and Serena Williams 4-1 for mixed doubles title

Andy Murray and Serena Williams are 4-1 with Hills to win the mixed doubles after the draw was revealed on Wednesday.

The unseeded duo will open with a winnable clash against Germany's Andreas Mies and Chile's Alexa Guarachi and they could meet top seeds Bruno Soares and Nicole Melichar in round three.

Eastbourne champion Karolina Pliskova absolutely flying

Monica Puig put up terrific second-set resistance in her bid to stop the high-speed train that is Karolina Pliskova but the Czech held strong to steam into the third round courtesy of a 6-0 6-4 triumph.

Everything is going right in the world of third seed Pliskova right now. She cruised to the Eastbourne title last Saturday and has carried over her form well at the All England Club.

Who can stop Pliskova? It's difficult to say. A lot of big names have already handed in their locker-room keys, but the tests will continue to get tougher over the course of Wimbledon fortnight.

It's also possible that fatigue could play a part in week two after her Devonshire Park exploits, but for now Pliskova is absolutely flying.

Victoria Azarenka serves title notice with easy win

Victoria Azarenka has been through a lot of soul-searching in her bid to return to the limelight after becoming a mother in late 2016, but the Belarusian appears to have got her preparation for Wimbledon this year spot-on.

Azarenka breezed past Ajla Tomljanovic 6-2 6-0 to charge into the last 32. Vika is a genuine title outsider at her best but has often found one or two too good on grass - she has been more comfortable on hard courts - and outright punters should bear that in mind.

Rafael Nadal breezes past Japanese journeyman

Rafael Nadal should enjoy the slow conditions of the Wimbledon courts this year and the Spanish star made no mistake in his opener against Yuichi Sugita.

Nadal, who won a 12th French Open title at Roland Garros last month, swept past the Japanese player in just over two hours, winning 6-3 6-1 6-2 on Court One.

Serena Williams safely into round two

Serena Williams reached the final of Wimbledon last year and the US legend is into the second round after she dismissed Giulia Gatto-Monticone.

The first set was a formality for the seven-time champion but her opponent forced the veteran to dig deep in the second as she won 6-2 7-5.

Petra Kvitova cruises past Jabeur

Petra Kvitova is among the favourites to win the women's title at Wimbledon and the power-packed Czech showed why as she eased to victory over Ons Jabeur.

Kvitova, the champion at Wimbledon in both 2011 and 2014, ran out a convincing 6-4 6-2 winner over the Tunisian player.

Maria Sharapova retires with wrist injury

Maria Sharpova was a set and a break up against Pauline Parmentier but the Frenchwoman fought back to win the second set before her opponent withdrew with a suspected wrist injury when 5-0 down in the decider.

Sharapova, who last won a Grand Slam in 2014, has struggled since returning from a doping ban two years ago and it remains to be seen how long she will continue to play for.

Roger Federer survives a scare to see off young South African

Roger Federer may have won eight Wimbledon titles but the Swiss legend was made to sweat in his first-round meeting with 22-year-old Lloyd Harris.

Harris broke Federer's fabled serve on the way to winning the first set as the 37-year-old failed on find his timing on Centre Court but the veteran took control afterwards to win 3-6 6-1 6-2 6-2.

Former champion Muguruza falls at first hurdle

There were plenty of shocks at Wimbledon on Monday and Beatriz Haddad Maia delivered another a day later as she defeated 2017 grass-court queen Garbine Muguruza 6-4 6-4.

The Brazilian came through qualifying to set up a first-round clash with the Spaniard and broke her opponent at 5-4 in both the first and second sets to record a memorable victory at odds of 21-10.

British success as Johanna Konta and Cameron Norrie make second round

British number one Johanna Konta started her Wimbledon title bid with a smooth success against Ana Bogdan.

Konta, who reached the semi-finals of the French Open last month, won 7-5 6-2 against the Romanian and will be favourite to beat Katerina Siniakova in Thursday's second-round meeting.

Cameron Norrie, meanwhile, looked in great form in taking out veteran Uzbek Denis Istomin in straight sets but the 23-year-old British number two faces a tough test against Kei Nishikori in round two.

Dominic Thiem exits at the hands of Querrey

There was little to split Dominic Thiem and Sam Querrey in the betting and so it came as no great surprise to see the world number four crash out against the American.

Thiem, who has reached back-to-back French Open finals, took the first set in a tiebreak but lost the next three sets as he failed to build on a miserable Wimbledon record.

Defending champion Angelique Kerber beats compatriot Maria

Anqelique Kerber started her title defence with a straight-sets victory over Tatjana Maria and will meet Lauren Davis in round two.

The German, who beat Serena Williams in last year's final, was able to see off her compatriot with the minimum of fuss. Sent off a 1-10 shot, Kerber cantered to a 6-4 6-2 victory on Centre Court.

French Open champ Ashleigh Barty storms into round two

Ashleigh Barty stretched her winning run to 13 consecutive matches as the Roland Garros queen defeated Saisai Zheng in straight sets on Centre One.

Barty, who also added Birmingham's WTA Nature Valley Classic to her growing list of titles last month, ran out a 6-4 6-2 winner over the Chinese player and faces Alison van Uytvanck for a place in round three.

Briton Dan Evans eases past Delbonis

Dan Evans is into the second round after the controversial Briton recorded a comfortable win over Federico Delbonis on Court 18.

The Birmingham boy ran out a 6-3 7-6 6-3 victor over the Argentinian as he bids to return to the world's top 50 following a drugs ban.

US ace Sloane Stephens avoids early upset

All the talk may be about Cori Gauff in the women's draw but Sloane Stephens gave a timely reminder of her Grand Slam credentials with a comfortable opening-round victory over Timea Bacsinszky.

The American, who won the 2017 US Open and reached the final of the French a year later, was in fine form as she won 6-2 6-4 against the capable Swiss and could outrun ante-post odds of 50-1.

Teenager Cori Gauff makes history by beating idol Venus Williams

Venus Williams became the latest favourite to lose on day one at Wimbledon as she went down 6-4 6-4 to 15-year-old Cori 'Coco' Gauff.

The 3-1 underdog, the youngest player ever to reach the main draw, showed no fear against her 39-year-old idol, who has won Wimbledon five times. Gauff was just 40-1 to win the title with bet365 immediately after her triumph.

Greek tragedy as Stefanos Tsitsipas crashes out in first round

Seventh seed and fourth favourite Tsitsipas was among the biggest casualties of the first round at Wimbledon after losing a five-set thriller to Thomas Fabbiano.

Tsitsipas, 20-1 in the ante-post outright market, was the second-highest seeded player in Novak Djokovic's quarter of the draw.

Alexander Zverev, fifth favourite at 33-1, is also be heading home after losing 4-6 6-3 6-2 7-5 to world number 124 Jiri Vesely. Zverev had been the 9-2 favourite to win the second quarter.

Second seed Naomi Osaka defeated

Sixth favourite and second seed Naomi Osaka could not emulate last year's third-round berth at Wimbledon, failing to justify 7-15 favouritism against Yulia Putintseva.

Osaka was a best-priced 16-1 for the women's singles title but lost in straight sets.

Defending champion Novak Djokovic gets stronger as game goes on

Champion Novak Djokovic wasn't flawless in seeing off German veteran Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3 7-5 6-3, but he improved as the match went on.

Djokovic lost the opening game on serve but broke back immediately before stamping his authority on the contest.

The serene Serb is 11-8 with bet365 and Ladbrokes in his pursuit of a fifth Wimbledon title and he faces Denis Kudla in the second round.

Tenth seed Aryna Sabalenka sent packing by giant-killer Rybarikova

Aryna Sabalenka, 21, has yet to live up to her billing in Grand Slams and the big-hitting Belarusian was unable to match Magdalena Rybarikova, who dumped out two seeds on her way the semi-finals in 2017.

Sabalenka, who was a 50-1 chance before a ball was served, registered eight double faults and a host of unforced errors as she fell to 6-2 6-4 defeat.

Rybarikova was ruthless on her first serve and the Slovak, who claimed the scalps of Karolina Pliskova and Coco Vandeweghe two years ago, is evidently in rude health. She is 80-1 to go the whole way.

Sabalenka's surprise exit has seen most firms cut Madison Keys to 20-1. The American was due to meet her in the third round.

Simona Halep overcomes injury scare to silence Sasnovich

Former world number one Simona Halep twice needed medical treatment but showed immense character to overcome Belarus's Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-4 7-5.

Halep's trainer was summoned at the end of the first set with the Romanian clearly struggling to move as freely as usual.

And her problems worsened when she found herself 2-5 down in the second set.

However, the Romanian turned the screw late on with her impeccable defence frustrating Sasnovich and she won the final five games to record a straight-sets win.

Halep, whose previous best effort at Wimbledon was a semi-final apperance in 2014, faces her doubles partner and compatriot Mihaela Buzarnescu in the second round.

With an injury clearly unsettling her, BoyleSports have pushed her out to 20-1 from 16-1 for the women's title.

Racing Post Sport's Adrian Humphries tipped a winner by advising Sasnovich with a start of 5.5 games on the handicap.

Towering Kevin Anderson serves his way into the second round

Big servers thrive on the All England Club turf and last season's runner-up Kevin Anderson indicated it could be dangerous to underestimate the players who pack those weapons.

Anderson barely broke sweat in dispatching capable Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-3 6-3 6-2 in a shade under two hours to book his place in the second round.

The South African served 16 aces and saved all seven break-point opportunities. Betfred, William Hill and Paddy Power have him at 50-1 to go one better than last year and that is likely to attract support.

Swiss ace Stan Wawrinka shows there is plenty left in the tank

Stan Wawrinka, who is three-time Grand Slam winner, recorded a routine first-round success over Ruben Bemelmans to suggest he was slowly closing in on a return to his best.

Wawrinka has had his fair share of injuries to contend with in recent times but he is competing more consistently and as a result his performances are improving.

The Swiss superstar didn't drop serve in his emphatic 6-3 6-2 6-2 victory but he will face a much tougher test in round two against giant American Reilly Opelka, who is 6ft 11in tall and packs a powerful serve.

Wawrinka is 80-1 with Paddy Power to add the missing piece of his Grand Slam jigsaw at Wimbledon this year.

Seeds Madison Keys and Elina Svitolina get title challenges up and running

Seeds Elina Svitolina and Madison Keys could be considered viable Wimbledon outsiders and the talented pair avoided any early drama with comfortable first-round wins.

Svitolina was a straight-sets winner against Daria Gavrilova - she bageled the Aussie in the final set - and the eighth seed has been cut to 80-1 from 100-1 for a maiden Grand Slam success.

Keys was broken by her Thai opponent Luksika Kumkhum in the first game of the match but the American rallied courageously to run out a ready 6-3 6-2 winner.

The 17th seed remains a 25-1 chance with Hills to be crowned Wimbledon champion.

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