Wimbledon: Virtanen saves match-point to stun Shelton in five-set thriller in first round

London, June 30 (IANS) Otto Virtanen dug deep as he saved a match point to stun fourth seed Ben Shelton in a five-set thriller in a first-round clash and registered the biggest shock of 2026 Wimbledon so far at the All England Club on Tuesday afternoon.

The No. 140 player in the ATP Rankings, Virtanen prevailed 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(8), 6-2, 7-6(9) in a four-hour, 21-minute battle on No. 2 Court. The Finn saved the match point at 8/9 in the 10-point deciding tie-break, before converting his first after Shelton fired a forehand wide.

“I don’t know if I have a heart anymore,” Virtanen joked when asked in his on-court interview about dealing with the late-match tension. “But I’m here and played until the last point… I had a great month before this. I played a lot of grass matches. I always enjoyed playing here. Last year, unfortunately, I got an injury [and couldn’t play], but I always have a great time here.”

The win against World No. 5 Shelton was the biggest of Virtanen’s career by ATP Ranking: He had not previously defeated a Top-20 opponent. A former World No. 91, Virtanen came through qualifying in Roehampton last week to secure his second appearance in the Wimbledon main draw.

“It definitely means a lot to me,” Virtanen, who reached the final at ATP Challenger events in Birmingham and Nottingham before heading to Wimbledon qualifying, continued. “A big win on a big court in my favourite place. After a tough year, I’ve been getting good wins and playing good… Playing now for a month, every day, and feeling healthy, and hoping the results will come. So here we are.”

Awaiting the 25-year-old Virtanen in the second round at the All England Club will be World No. 114 Arthur Fery. The home favourite earlier downed Damir Dzumhur 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-1.

In contrast, Shelton’s fellow Top-10 American Taylor Fritz enjoyed a straightforward opening victory at SW19. The sixth seed, who had been due to face Jack Draper in the first round before the Briton withdrew, eased past lucky loser Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 on No. 1 Court.

The 28-year-old Fritz is now 8-2 for the year on grass, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, having reached finals at ATP Tour events on the surface in Stuttgart and Halle prior to his arrival in London. Notably, Fritz did not compete in Eastbourne (where he is a record four-time champion) in the week before Wimbledon this year, and the American acknowledged that the mental impact of his altered preparations took some time to get used to against Lajovic.

“Obviously, my confidence should be high based on how the grass court season has gone for me,” Fritz said in his post-match press conference. “But probably a little more nervous than in previous years, because I get in that rhythm. I won Eastbourne, I came here, and it’s like just playing matches almost every day.

“It’s almost like I know there is no doubt when I step on the court that I’m going to play to a certain level; I’m going to play well. I just bring a bit more confidence. I like to play. A bit more nervous, kind of more similar to what it feels like when I play the US Open, play Australia. I take the week off before I play those as well, but I was able to play good tennis.”

A semifinalist for the first time at Wimbledon a year ago, Fritz’s second-round opponent will be one of his countrymen, Patrick Kypson. The World No. 113 Kypson overcame another American, qualifier Mackenzie McDonald, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.

–IANS

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