In a match that felt more like it should have taken place late in the tournament, Stan Wawrinka defeated Grigor Dimitrov 1-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-4 to advance to the second round. The three-time major champion entered Wimbledon unranked as he continues to return from injury.

Dimitrov looked to have things in order early as he came out quickly to take a one-set lead. But Wawrinka fought back to win two consecutive sets in a tiebreak. The 6-seed, who has struggled for much of 2018, appeared to have lost confidence and the Swiss took full advantage. Wawrinka would close out the match in four sets.

“It is a great feeling to win a match like that on Centre Court,” Wawrinka said. “To be here and to move that well, felt good. Grigor is a tough opponent to beat. I knew it would be a tough match. My goal was to fight and focus on my game and to always improve during the match, so happy to win like that.”

The 33-year-old has struggled to return to form since two knee operations sidelined him last season.

“There have been some tough months mentally, so it is a big surprise to play that well after losing the first set.”

Wawrinka held just a 5-9 record in 2018 as play started in London. Meanwhile, after reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open, Dimitrov has now been eliminated in the round-of-32 at Roland Garros and the first round in London.

Elsewhere, Sloane Stephens came to London riding high after reaching the French Open Final just a few weeks ago. She won her first grand slam title at the US Open in September and reached the finals of two of her last three majors. But her stay at Wimbledon ended abruptly and on the first day as Donna Vekic eliminated the fourth-seed 6-1, 6-3.

“Today just wasn’t my day. I wish I could have played better. I wish I would have made some more balls. I wish I could have pushed her a little bit more. It just wasn’t working,” Stephens said.

Vekic is due credit for her aggressive play as she struck big, flat groundstrokes that served her well on the grass surface. She struck the ball with a sense of urgency and breezed through the first set in less than a half hour.

Stephens picked up some momentum as the second set began but could not maintain it as the Croatian’s aggressiveness forced her into 26 unforced errors in the match.

The American admitted that she did not adapt to the grass court conditions well. “The balls from clay to grass are completely different. The ball stays very low here. You have to make a little bit more of an adjustment. Everyone is dealing with the same conditions, so it’s not just me.”

Meanwhile, Vekic will move on to face Rebecca Peterson in the second round.