Fourth seed Ben Shelton suffered one of the biggest upsets of the opening round at Wimbledon after Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen produced a remarkable comeback to stun the American in a gripping five-set marathon. The match, which lasted four hours and 21 minutes, saw Virtanen save a match point before defeating Shelton 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(8), 6-2, 7-6(9). Shelton led 9-8 in the deciding super tiebreak but squandered his opportunity with an unforced error, allowing Virtanen to seal the biggest victory of his career.
Shelton Reflects on Tough Loss
Shelton, a Wimbledon quarter-finalist last year, described the defeat as “one of the toughest losses of my career.” The American had high hopes for this year's tournament but was undone by the determined qualifier ranked 140th in the world.
Other Men's Matches
Czech 15th seed Jakub Mensik survived a major scare, battling past British wildcard Toby Samuel 5-7, 6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(7). The French Open semi-finalist recovered after failing to serve out the match before holding his nerve in the decisive tiebreak to book a second-round berth. Fifth seed Alex de Minaur completed a dominant 7-6(5), 6-1, 6-0 victory over Argentina’s Roman Burruchaga, setting up a second-round meeting with France’s Adrian Mannarino.
Women's Draw Shocks
In the women’s draw, Ukraine’s Daria Snigur stunned eighth seed and compatriot Elina Svitolina 7-5, 6-2, overturning an early 4-0 deficit to claim her first victory over a top-10 player since 2023. Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina also survived a stern examination, overcoming French debutant Lois Boisson 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 despite an error-filled display to advance.
