Liam Broady fell behind August Holmgren in Wimbledon qualifying, losing the first set 7-6 (8-6). The match is part of the route to the main singles draw, so the next set now carries the immediate weight.
Broady at Roehampton
The first set went to a tie-break, and Holmgren took it 8-6. Broady still had work left to do, but the opening frame already put him in catch-up mode.
Wimbledon qualifying began on Monday, 22 June, with live coverage from 11:00 BST. Mackenzie McDonald against Felipe Meligeni Alves rounded out play in Roehampton, keeping the first day moving through a full qualifying slate.
Dan Evans in qualifying
Dan Evans also had to go through qualifying after missing a Wimbledon singles wildcard, and he started with a 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 win over Juan Carlos Prado Angelo to reach the second round. He will retire after Wimbledon but still needs to win two qualifying matches to reach a final singles main draw.
The tension around Evans is sharper because he was not handed one of the eight singles wildcards. Harry Wendelken and Felix Gill received the final remaining places on Wednesday, leaving Evans to keep winning if he wants one last run at the main draw.
Wimbledon wildcards shift
Evans said, "I feel I've done plenty of time of helping British tennis, off the court, and on the court, so I hope to get one," after missing out. He also called not getting a wildcard for the HSBC Championships at Queen's Club a "classy gesture".
Broady’s match had not reached its finish in the facts provided, so the first-set tie-break is the only hard marker from his opening day. The practical reading is simple: he has already spent one tight set chasing the match, and the result of the next set will decide whether he can turn it around.
