World No. 1 Jannik Sinner stayed ice-cool as he advanced smoothly to Wimbledon’s second round, but Tuesday at the blazing All England Club was marked by a cascade of upsets that sent several seeded players packing.
American second seed Coco Gauff, aiming for a rare French Open-Wimbledon double after her Paris triumph, was the biggest surprise, falling 7-6 (3), 6-1 to Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska under the relentless sun.
Fellow American Taylor Fritz, ranked fifth in the world, barely survived a five-set thriller against France’s big-serving Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
The men’s draw saw 13 seeds crash out in the first round – a Wimbledon record since the 32-seed format began in 2001. Nine women’s seeds also bowed out early, bringing the total number of top-10 seeds eliminated across both singles draws to eight – the highest at a Grand Slam in the professional era.
Germany’s Alexander Zverev was the most notable casualty among men, the third seed losing a grueling five-set battle 7-6 (3), 6-7 (8), 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-4 to France’s Arthur Rinderknech in a match that started Monday and was tied at one set apiece overnight.
“I’m not sure he’s ever played a match like that in his life,” said Zverev, still chasing his first Grand Slam title after 38 attempts.
Italian Lorenzo Musetti, seeded seventh, was ousted on Court Two by Nikoloz Basilashvili – the same court where earlier American women’s third seed Jessica Pegula was upset 6-2, 6-3 by Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
Sinner, in fine form, avoided joining the exodus by defeating fellow Italian and close friend Luca Nardi 6-4, 6-3, 6-0. This marked his return to the Grand Slam stage after his epic French Open final loss to Carlos Alcaraz last month.
“I tried to put the friendship aside for a couple of hours,” Sinner said, conceding only four points on his first serve.
Novak Djokovic closed out the day’s main showcourt action with a 6-1, 6-7 (7), 6-2, 6-2 win over Frenchman Alexandre Muller, despite battling a stomach bug mid-match. He will face Britain’s Dan Evans next.
Following a record seven British players winning singles matches Monday, home fans had more to cheer as fourth seed Jack Draper, Britain’s leading hope, cruised past Argentina’s Sebastian Baez, who retired hurt trailing 6-2, 6-2, 2-1. Ten British players have now reached round two.
Krejcikova tested
Defending women’s champion Barbora Krejcikova was pushed by rising 20-year-old Filipina Alexandra Eala but recovered from a slow start to win 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 in her return to Centre Court.
“What the hell kind of tennis did she play in the first set?” Krejcikova marveled. “She was smashing the ball and cleaning the lines. Wow. She’s going to be really good in a couple of years.”
Five-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek, seeded eighth, continued her quest for a first Wimbledon title with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Polina Kudermetova. Russian teen Mirra Andreeva also advanced with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Mayar Sherif.
Both might have expected Gauff to be a major obstacle, but the world No. 2 faltered against Yastremska.
“I felt mentally overwhelmed with everything that came afterward,” Gauff said of the stretch following her Paris win. “I didn’t have enough time to celebrate and get back into it.”
China’s No. 5 seed and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen suffered a third straight first-round Wimbledon loss, falling 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 to Czech doubles specialist Katerina Siniakova.
“If I get through the first match, I believe I’ll play better and better on grass,” Zheng said. “The first match is always complicated for me.”
Fans will regret the loss of Wimbledon dark horse Alexander Bublik, seeded 28th. Known for his trick shots and flair, the Kazakh was beaten 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2 by Spaniard Jaume Munar.
Later, veteran Gael Monfils, at 38, defied age to edge out French compatriot Ugo Humbert in five sets.
American Fritz survived and roared in celebration after defeating Perricard 6-7 (6), 6-7 (8), 6-4, 7-6 (6), 6-4 in a match carried over from Monday. Perricard did set a Wimbledon record with a 153 mph serve.
Tommy Paul defeated Briton Johannus Monday 6-4, 6-4, 6-2, but fellow American and 30th seed Alex Michelsen fell 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (6) to Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic.
Zeynep Sönmez became the first Turkish woman to reach Wimbledon’s second round by battling past Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian 7-6 (3), 6-3.
Victoria Mboko, a Canadian teenager, found out hours before her match that she entered the main draw as a lucky loser following Anastasia Potapova’s withdrawal. Mboko made the most of her chance, stunning 25th seed Magdalena Frech 6-3, 6-2.
Fourteen years after first inscribing her name on Wimbledon’s honor roll, two-time champion Petra Kvitova bowed out, losing 6-3, 6-1 to American 10th seed Emma Navarro.
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