Johannus Monday and Fran Jones bow out of Wimbledon at first hurdle

The pair will both pocket £66,000 after a seven per cent increase in total prize money from 2024’s tournament.

Bradford-born Jones, 24, made a lightning start but suffered more heartbreak with her three-set defeat marking three consecutive exits in the opening round at SW19.

Up against the world No 68, Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva, 25, Jones set up an ealy break point with a forehand passing shot down the line before chasing down a drop shot to convert.

The Oxenhope native, who sits just outside the world's top 100 at 122, raced into a 5-1 lead and a backhand down the line winner which clipped the net confirmed the first set by a 6-1 scoreline inside 26 minutes.

Jones followed it up in the opening game of the second set after a fine backhand return dropped to the feet of the approaching Starodubtseva to force an awkward volley miss on the first of three break points.

However, Jones netted an overhead in the following game to give the Ukrainian two chances to break back, and she took the second of them after working hard to survive in a long exchange before tempting Jones to overhit from mid-court.

After saving two more break points, Starodubtseva found an advantage in the second set after a down the line backhand winner to set up another chance to break before an unforced forehand error from Jones.

Momentum had shifted to the world No 68 who sent the match to a deciding set after coming from a break of serve down.

Starodubtseva took control of the final set in the third game after a good return into Jones’ backhand corner forced an error on the second of two break points.

A cross court backhand winner earned the Ukrainian a second break and a 4-1 advantage.

A double fault from Jones on the second match point confirmed a 1-6 6-3 6-1 defeat in 1 hour 46 minutes.

It was also a second consecutive loss in three sets at Wimbledon after she fell to Petra Martic after taking the opening set in 2024.

It was also defeat for Hull’s Johannus Monday in his Wimbledon main draw debut.

On another sweltering day at SW19, after the hottest opening day on record, Monday opened the day’s action on Court 3 against former Queen’s champion and the thirteenth seed in American Tommy Paul.

Speaking ahead of the match, 224-ranked Monday asked for “someone big on Centre Court” and while it was not quite Centre, it was a packed crowd on one of the bigger show courts – and the “du du du, Monday on a Tuesday” chant during warm-up suggested the East Yorkshireman would receive some strong support.

The size of the task became evident in just the third game when Paul earned a break of serve after Monday double faulted having just seen break point opportunities of his own go begging.

The rest of the opening set played out with both players serving well and neither setting up any chances to break, with the American's early advantage proving crucial.

It was to be a similar story in the second set, Monday going down a break of serve in the third game after a nice forehand volley from Paul welcomed break point followed by an error from the Brit.

Both players showcased impressive serves, some of Monday's hitting speeds of 130+ miles per hour, and while Paul's was not quite as big, he was able to hit his spots consistently. Again neither had to save another break point as they played out another 6-4 set to the American.

Paul repeated his antics of breaking the Monday serve in the third game of the set, but this time he extended the advantage after a couple of missed groundstrokes from the Brit. The American started to showcase more of the skills that helped him rise to a peak of eight in the world, with some nice touch and volleying for which Monday had no answer.

After a 6-4 6-4 6-2 defeat in 1 hour 45 minutes, Monday said: “It was a very difficult match, he’s obviously a very good player.

“I felt the pressure going into the match, not the expectation to win, but it’s a different feeling walking on to that court. There’s a lot on the line.

“At this level, if you don’t take your chances, it’s tough. He took his very well and put so much pressure on me for the entire match.”

On making his Wimbledon debut on a show court, Monday added: “It has always been a dream for me to walk on to a court like that, so there’s a bit of pressure going into it.

“It was very cool to be honest, it was always a dream of mine, one, to play singles at Wimbledon, but also on a big court. I tried to just savour the moment and enjoy it as much as I can.”