Otto Virtanen of Finland defeated Ben Shelton in the first round of Wimbledon 2026, marking a significant upset on Tuesday. The match, which lasted over four hours, saw Virtanen advance to the second round for the second time in three years. Shelton, a quarterfinalist in 2025, experienced his first opening-round defeat at a Grand Slam since the 2023 French Open.
Virtanen, ranked 140th in the ATP Tour singles, secured his victory with a final score of 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(8), 6-2, 7-6(9) on Court 2. He converted three of eight break point opportunities during the match. In contrast, Shelton, who was the fifth seed, failed to convert 11 of his 12 break point chances. Virtanen also recorded 14 aces and 60 winners, while Shelton had 19 aces and 68 winners.
The Finnish player expressed his satisfaction with his performance, noting his preparation leading up to the tournament. “I had a great month before this,” Virtanen stated, adding, “I played a lot of grass matches. I always enjoy playing here.” He also mentioned missing the previous year due to injury, highlighting his pleasure in returning to the event. Virtanen, at 25 years old, has not yet progressed to the third round of a Grand Slam.
Shelton’s early exit and other results
The defeat was described as one of the toughest losses in Shelton’s career. The American fourth seed had reached the semifinals last year. His early exit was a notable moment on a day that saw several other top players in action. Shelton’s performance in the match included missing a match point before ultimately losing in a fifth-set tie-break.
In other men’s singles matches, Germany’s Alexander Zverev, the second seed and recent French Open champion, advanced after a challenging encounter. Zverev secured a 6-4, 6-7(8), 7-6(5), 7-6(0) win against Alexander Blockx of Belgium. Zverev acknowledged the difficulty of the match, stating, “That was tough. When I saw the draw I thought here we go again, someone who serves 140 mph and can take the racket out of your hands.” He had previously lost in the first round at Wimbledon last year.
American sixth seed Taylor Fritz, a semifinalist last year, also progressed, defeating Dusan Lajovic in straight sets. Australia’s fifth seed Alex de Minaur moved forward as well, beating Roman Andres Burruchaga. Other prominent male players who advanced on Tuesday included Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan, Jakub Mensik of Czechia, and Alexander Zverev of Germany.
Upcoming matches and women’s draw
Following his victory, Virtanen is scheduled to face British wild card Arthur Fery, ranked 114th, in the second round. The winner of that match will then play either Zizou Bergs of Belgium or Jaime Faria of Portugal in the third round. This sets up potential further challenges for Virtanen as he aims to continue his run in the tournament.
In the women’s draw, several highly-ranked players secured their spots in the next round. These included Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, Iga Swiatek of Poland, Amanda Anisimova of the United States, Linda Noskova of Czechia, Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine, and Jasmine Paolini of Italy. Another notable result saw Daria Snigur of Ukraine defeat fellow Ukrainian Elina Svitolina in straight sets during another first-round upset.
Looking ahead, Wednesday’s schedule at the All England Club features second-round matches for top-ranked women such as Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, Jessica Pegula of the United States, Mirra Andreeva of Russia, Coco Gauff of the United States, Karolina Muchova of Czechia, and Naomi Osaka of Japan. For the men, top-ranked Jannik Sinner of Italy, Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada, Novak Djokovic of Serbia, and Daniil Medvedev of Russia are among those scheduled to play on Wednesday.
Read Also
Source: upi.com
