The biggest upset in the men's singles came from the 3rd seed, Alexander Zverev. The German player lost to world number 72, Arthur Rinderknech, who had only won one match in four previous Wimbledon appearances. Zverev couldn't break Rinderknech's serve even once throughout the match on 1/7, despite having 9 break points. He lost 6-7, 7-6, 3-6, 7-6, 4-6 after 4 hours and 45 minutes of play. This is the first time in six years that Zverev has been eliminated in the first round of a Grand Slam.

On the same day, 7th seed Lorenzo Musetti also lost to qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili. After four sets, Musetti lost 2-6, 6-4, 5-7, 1-6 to the world number 126. This was a major upset, considering Musetti reached the Wimbledon semifinals last year and the Roland Garros semifinals last month.

A total of 13 men's singles seeds were eliminated in the first round, four of them in the top 10. 9th seed Daniil Medvedev lost to Benjamin Bonzi in four sets, in a match where he felt his opponent played exceptionally well. This marks Medvedev's third consecutive loss at a Grand Slam, having exited in the second round of the Australian Open, the first round of Roland Garros, and now the first round of Wimbledon this year.

8th seed Holger Rune also disappointed, losing to Nicolas Jarry despite winning the first two sets. Rune played below par against the world number 143, who had only won six of his 19 matches since the beginning of the year. After winning the first two sets 6-4, 6-4, Rune fell behind the Chilean player from the third set, losing the next three sets 5-7, 3-6, 4-6.

24th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas lost to Valentin Royer, a player ranked outside the top 100 ATP. He retired after losing the first two sets due to a back injury. The match lasted only 74 minutes, during which Tsitsipas clearly showed instability in his movement and serve.

Other notable seeds eliminated in the first round include Francisco Cerundolo (16th), Ugo Humbert (18th), Alex Popyrin (20th), Denis Shapovalov (27th), Alexander Bublik (28th), Alex Michelsen (30th), and Matteo Berrettini (32nd). Among them, Humbert lost to 38-year-old veteran Gael Monfils, the oldest player in the tournament, after five sets.

The first day of play, 1/7, also witnessed major upsets in the women's singles. 5th seed Qinwen Zheng lost to world number 81 Katerina Siniakova 5-7, 6-4, 1-6. This is the third consecutive year that the Paris Olympic gold medalist has exited Wimbledon in the first round. In 2023, Zheng also lost to Katerina Siniakova, followed by a defeat to Lulu Sun in 2024.

3rd seed Jessica Pegula quickly lost to world number 116 Elisabetta Cocciaretto 2-6, 3-6 in just 59 minutes. In this match, the American player only had five winners and committed 24 unforced errors. This is the first time in five years that Pegula has lost in the first round of a Grand Slam.

Including both men's and women's singles, five top 10 seeds were eliminated on the second day of the tournament. 2nd seed Coco Gauff, who just won Roland Garros last month, suffered a shocking defeat to Dayana Yastremska 6-7, 1-6 in a match where she committed 9 double faults and a total of 29 unforced errors. In 2023, Gauff also lost in the first round of Wimbledon to Sofia Kenin, before winning the US Open two months later.

Nhan Dat

Photo: AFP, Reuters, Wimbledon