Fourth seed Ben Shelton has been eliminated from Wimbledon in a stunning first-round upset, falling to World No. 140 Otto Virtanen of Finland. The marathon match lasted four hours and 24 minutes, concluding with Virtanen winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(8), 6-2, 7-6(9).
Virtanen secured the victory after trailing 8-5 in the deciding fifth-set tie-break. "I don’t know if I have a heart anymore. It probably bounced out of my body, but I’m here," Virtanen said on court after the match. He attributed his performance to a strong grass-court season leading up to Wimbledon and expressed his enjoyment of playing at the tournament, which he missed the previous year due to injury.
The defeat marks a significant early exit for Shelton, who was considered a strong contender for the United States, aiming to become the first American men's Wimbledon champion since Pete Sampras in 2000. The 23-year-old, standing at 6ft 4in, has experienced a challenging year in Grand Slams, having also lost in the second round of the French Open last month.
Virtanen's next opponent will be British hopeful Arthur Fery, who advanced after a 3-1 victory. Meanwhile, fellow American Taylor Fritz, the sixth seed, began his Wimbledon campaign successfully, defeating Dusan Lajovic in straight sets. Fritz, who reached the semi-finals last year, expressed confidence in his game, stating, "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."