The ‘Curse of Halle’ struck Hubert Hurkacz, who was the biggest casualty of Day 1 at Wimbledon on Monday.
Hurkacz, the 7th seed and a semi-finalist from last year, went down 6-7, 4-6, 5-7, 6-2, 6-7 to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in 3 hours and 28 minutes in a topsy-turvy contest.
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The Pole had won the grasscourt event in Halle ahead of Wimbledon.
He isn’t the first Halle champion to suffer this fate. Since 2011, every Halle champion except Federer has lost in Round 1 of Wimbledon.
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The list comprises Phillip Kohlschreiber in 2011, Tommy Haas in 2012, Florian Mayer in 2016, Borna Coric in 2018 and Ugo Humbert in 2021.
Sinner stops Wawrinka
Jannik Sinner scored a pair of firsts on Monday at Wimbledon with his 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 first-round victory against Stan Wawrinka.
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The 20-year-old Italian earned his first win in his second Wimbledon main-draw appearance, with the victory doubling as his first tour-level victory on grass.
“It feels amazing, obviously,” Sinner said of the milestone win on Court 2.
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“It took a little bit, but I’m happy to be in the second round here.
“Against Stan, it was a very tough match because he is an incredible champion and he showed it so many times. I wish him all the best to come back stronger.”
