Shelton's First-Round Exit in a Five-Set Battle
Ben Shelton, last year’s quarter-finalist and one of the 18 Americans competing in the men’s singles—the largest national contingent—experienced a surprising early exit. The left-handed player, who secured his first grass-court title in Stuttgart earlier this June and is known for one of the best serves in tennis, appeared well-suited for the surface.
On Tuesday, the No 4 seed was defeated in the first round by Otto Virtanen of Finland, ranked world No 140 and appearing in only his second Wimbledon. The match was a grueling five-set contest with scores of 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (8), 6-2, 7-6 (9). Shelton held a two sets to one lead and had opportunities to break in the final set, including a match point at 9-8 in the tiebreak. However, he missed a forehand into the net, and two points later, a powerful forehand from Shelton landed just wide, ending the match.
Shelton began the year with high expectations, reaching the quarter-finals at the Australian Open. After a second-round loss in Paris, he defeated Taylor Fritz to claim the Halle title. Despite his strong performances, he has repeatedly found himself in tightly contested matches, and this was another such encounter that ultimately did not go his way. Prior to this match, Shelton had won seven of his previous 10 grand slam matches.
“Tough loss,” Shelton said. “One of the toughest losses I’ve taken, for sure. I got to give a lot of credit to the guy I played, Otto. I thought he played an outstanding match.”
Fritz Cruises Through First Round
In contrast, Taylor Fritz, the No 6 seed and the only current American male to have reached a grand slam final (2024 US Open), advanced comfortably. Fritz, who reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon last year, defeated Dusan Lajovic of Serbia 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 in just one hour and 41 minutes, displaying control throughout the match.
The only notable moment was Fritz’s entrance, as he wore a bespoke all-white Boss suit over his tennis attire. The 28-year-old admitted uncertainty about the outfit but felt he “looked all right.”
“I feel like it was an uphill battle all day today. I was pretty off on my serve spot, so I wasn’t getting many free points. I was having to grind through a lot of the games. The guy was playing really good and downhill from the baseline. I think I had 15-40 three separate times in the fifth set. The guy came up with some ridiculous stuff in those moments, really good tennis. Sometimes it happens like that.”
“If anything, I was more worried about losing. You show up in a full outfit and get snipped in the first round, you look really stupid, honestly,” he added.
De Minaur Advances After Initial Struggles
Fifth seed Alex de Minaur secured a 7-6 (5), 6-1, 6-0 victory over Román Andrés Burruchaga, son of Jorge Burruchaga, who scored the winning goal for Argentina in the 1986 World Cup final. After a scrappy first set, De Minaur elevated his performance and dominated the second and third sets.
“I think the way I played that first set, I need to be a lot more relaxed and not get as frustrated when maybe I’m not playing my best level,” De Minaur said. “I managed to sneak through that first set, then kind of free up and play confident tennis. I was happy with the way I was moving. I got a couple slides in, which always I feel is quite important, getting that footing and footwork on the grass court. Looking forward to the next one.”
Queen’s Champion Cerúndolo Exits Early
Juan Manuel Cerúndolo, the Queen’s champion, was also eliminated early, losing in three sets to Jaume Munar.
