Tennis-Swiatek to face Kenin in tough Wimbledon opener
FILE PHOTO: Jun 8, 2024; Paris, France; Iga Swiatek of Poland returns a shot during her match against Jasmine Paolini of Italy on day 14 of Roland Garros at Stade Roland Garros. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo
LONDON (Reuters) - Wimbledon top seed Iga Swiatek was handed on Friday a tricky first-round test at Wimbledon as the world number one was drawn against American Sofia Kenin.
The five-time Grand Slam champion, looking for her first Wimbledon title, will need to quickly get up to speed on the grass courts against the 2020 Australian Open champion.
Czech reigning champion Marketa Vondrousova, seeded sixth and in the same quarter of the draw as Swiatek, will open against Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
Second seed Coco Gauff will play in an all-American first round tie against Caroline Dolehide while third seed Aryna Sabalenka takes on American Emina Bektas.
Some other notable first-round draws in the women's singles include a clash of Grand Slam champions as Victoria Azarenka faces Sloane Stephens while British wildcard Emma Raducanu is up against Russian 22nd seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
FILE PHOTO: May 29, 2024; Paris, France; Sofia Kenin of the United States returns a shot during her match against Caroline Garcia of France on day four of Roland Garros at Stade Roland Garros. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Toby Chopra)