Iga Swiatek recorded a tense three-set victory over Taylor Townsend to make a victorious start to her Wimbledon title defence.

Opening Tuesday's action on Centre Court, 2025 women's singles champion Swiatek was taken the distance in her first career meeting with Townsend.

The deciding set was keenly fought with momentum swinging in both directions, but it was third seed Swiatek who emerged triumphant, winning 6-1 2-6 6-3 in just over two hours.

Swiatek started the contest well. In a run kickstarted by saving five break points in her first service game, she reeled off six consecutive games to emphatically claim the opener.

But Townsend forced herself back into contention, winning the first four games in the second set and going on to close things out – sealing it with an ace and not being broken, as the American was cheered on by Naomi Osaka in her box.

The first five games of a tense decider then went with serve, before Swiatek got the first break in game six.

Townsend struck straight back, only for the Pole to then break once more and move 5-3 ahead, from where she held to love to seal victory and breathe a big sigh of relief.

Swiatek survives scare like Sinner

It has not been a smooth start for the two defending singles champions at Wimbledon, with Swiatek just a handful of games away from defeat in this contest one day after men's champion Jannik Sinner was taken to five sets by Miomir Kecmanovic.

Ultimately, both players made it through to the second round – but, in both the men's and women's draws, their rivals will be encouraged by signs of vulnerability from the two champions.

Swiatek came into Wimbledon short of form and confidence. She is yet to reach a final on the WTA Tour so far in 2026, and lost her only match on grass to Emma Navarro at the Bad Homburg Open.

Another American, this time Townsend, also pushed her to the limit, but the Pole will be relieved to come through and will next face former Wimbledon finalist Karolina Pliskova.

Swiatek had won in straight sets in her previous five grand slam opening matches as the defending champion – a streak that came to an end in this match, as she struggled in making nine double faults, with just 25 winners to 36 unforced errors.

However, Swiatek ultimately got over the line, and the defending women's singles champion has now won the first round in 13 of the last 14 grand slam events, with only Marketa Vondrousova (at Wimbledon in 2024) losing in that span.

Swiatek holds a 29-1 career record in major first rounds, only losing in her main-draw debut at Wimbledon to Viktorija Golubic in 2019.

And she has now made at least round two in each of the last 27 majors (since the 2019 US Open) – the first player to do so in the women's singles since Lindsay Davenport also did so for a run of 27 consecutive slams between Wimbledon in 1993 and the 2000 Australian Open.

Still, Swiatek knows she has work to do if she is to become the first player since Serena Williams in 2015 and 2016 to successfully defend the women's singles crown.

Williams won her sixth and seventh titles at SW19 across those years, and is now preparing to face Maya Joint as she makes her comeback in 2026.