Alcaraz avoids Fognini shock after fan taken ill

Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz avoided a seismic shock against Italian veteran Fabio Fognini in the Wimbledon first round to set up a meeting with British qualifier Oliver Tarvet.

Alcaraz dug deep to win 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 2-6 6-1 as he opened the Centre Court play on a sweltering first day of the grass-court Grand Slam tournament.

The 22-year-old Spaniard quickly secured victory when an entertaining contest resumed after a 15-minute pause in the deciding set.

A spectator sat in the sun was taken ill, with Alcaraz going over with a bottle of cold water to help their recovery.

Alcaraz, who is the second seed behind Italian rival Jannik Sinner, struggled on serve and made uncharacteristic errors off the ground throughout a four-and-a-half-hour contest in temperatures topping 32C.

In what is set to be his final Wimbledon appearance before retirement, 38-year-old Fognini twice fought back to force the decider but Alcaraz regained control to extend his winning streak to 19 matches.

Alcaraz claimed his fifth Grand Slam title at the French Open earlier this month - beating Sinner in an all-time classic final - before lifting the Queen's trophy on his return to the British grass.

Alcaraz roared in relief when he finally ended Fognini's resistance, breaking into a broad smile and sharing a friendly embrace with his opponent.

"I tried my best but I can be better. I need to improve in the next round," said Alcaraz.

Next he will face 21-year-old Tarvet, who gets a shot at one of sport's superstars after beating Switzerland's Leandro Riedi on his Wimbledon debut.

Coming from the sun-drenched region of Murcia, Alcaraz is well accustomed to playing in searing heat.

Nevertheless, having to start his latest title defence with a lengthy contest in such tough conditions was far from ideal.

The players expecting to go deep over the fortnight want to preserve as much energy as possible in the earlier rounds, but Alcaraz needed to dig deep into his physical and mental reserves to see off Fognini.

Alcaraz is used to playing Centre Court's opening match of the championships - as tradition dictates the reigning men's champion does - but lacked the freedom and fluency for which he is known.

"Playing the first match on Centre Court is never easy," said Alcaraz.

"I've been practising really well and playing really well but Wimbledon is different. I could feel the difference."

On a buzzing Centre Court where the atmosphere rarely faded despite the stifling weather, Alcaraz lost serve five times in an absorbing contest between two of the sport's finest entertainers.

Alcaraz has tinkered with his opening shot this season and that may have been a contributing factor to a first-serve percentage below 50% which allowed Fognini to constantly apply pressure.

Fognini turned professional when Alcaraz was still a toddler but the expressive Italian showed how he stills loves to show off his skills on the grandest stages.

Returning smartly and playing with his trademark variety befuddled Alcaraz, whose frustration was shown in his gesturing and chuntering towards his team.

But when Alcaraz is hitting freely, it spells troubles for his opponents.

A light-hearted exchange at the start of the decider - when Fognini playfully threatened to hit a ball at his younger rival - brought the smile back to Alcaraz's face.

From that point, he found more rhythm and cruised through the fifth set, either side of the enforced emergency break which also hampered Fognini's momentum.