Two days of carnage: Big names fall in record numbers at Wimbledon

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It’s been two days of carnage on the famous grass courts at Wimbledon, as the stars crashed out of the first round in record numbers at the All England club.

Eight top-10 seeds exited in the first round, which was the highest at a grand slam in the professional era, while 23 seeds — 13 men, 10 women — have failed to reach the second round, equalling the highest total at any grand slam tournament since they began assigning 32 seeds in each singles bracket in 2001.

The seeds have tumbled in a brutal first round at Wimbledon.

As the shocks kept coming, here’s who stumbled and fell in a first round that delivered plenty of surprising results – and opened up the draw significantly for those remaining in the prestigious grasscourt event in London.

For the latest on the Australian contingent, click here.

Coco Gauff (No.2)

Gauff was the day’s most surprising casualty, overpowered by fired-up Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska 7-6 (7-3), 6-1.

The American was chasing a French Open-Wimbledon double after her Paris triumph but looked out of sorts on Court One’s slick surface, slipping several times early in the match. She had nine double faults and made 29 unforced errors, shaking her head in disbelief.

Coco Gauff is stunned after losing in the first round.

“I think it was a great match today, I was really on fire,” said the world No. 42 Yastremska, whose best previous grand slam performance was reaching the semi-finals at the 2024 Australian Open.

“It was pretty unexpected but it has been a great season for me. I love playing on grass, I feel like this season we are friends.”

Jessica Pegula (No.3)

Pegula didn’t pose much of a challenge to 116th-ranked Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto in a 6-2, 6-3 loss that lasted less than an hour.

The American, who was the runner-up at last year’s US Open and coming off a grasscourt title in Germany over the weekend, defeating Iga Swiatek in the final, suffered her earliest exit at a grand slam tournament in five years.

“This is definitely probably the worst result I’ve had all year,” she said.

Pegula, a quarter-finalist at Wimbledon in 2023, hit only five winners and made 24 unforced errors.

It was an early exit for American Jessica Pegula.

“For this to happen today, it’s disappointing. I don’t know how else to put it,” she said.

“I’m upset that I wasn’t able to turn anything around. But at the same time, I do feel like she played kind of insane. Hats off to her. Kudos to her for playing at a high level that I couldn’t match it today.”

Alexander Zverev (No.3)

The German, a three-time grand slam finalist, was the most notable men’s casualty, outplayed over five sets to 72nd-ranked Arthur Rinderknech, who entered Tuesday with a 1-4 career record at the All England club and zero trips past the third round in 18 appearances at majors.

The marathon duel began on Monday and was locked at one set apiece overnight, finishing 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (8-10), 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4 after four hours and 40 minutes.

“I’m not sure he’s ever played a match like that in his life,” said Zverev, who is still chasing a first grand slam title after 38 attempts.

Rinderknech hit 25 aces and saved all nine break points he faced. “What a moment. Such emotions. I don’t even know where to start,” he said.

“It’s my first top-five win, in the biggest stadium in the world. My legs are still shaking. I’m just so happy the match is finished.”

Zheng Qinwen (No.5)

China’s Zheng has yet to solve the puzzle of Wimbledon’s grass, as she suffered a third successive Wimbledon first-round exit to Czech doubles specialist Katerina Siniakova 7-5, 4-6, 6-1, who she has lost twice before on grass, including at Wimbledon two years ago.

“I don’t consider that it’s such a challenge for me to play on grass,” Zheng said. “Maybe it’s I just should put my level a bit more high today because I gave her a lot on my service games, especially when I was leading 5-3 in the first set.

“I had a lot of chances but just didn’t take them. I’m not going to let this get into my head. It’s just another match I lost here on grass, OK. I’m just going to see what’s coming in the future, and I will always keep fighting.”

Lorenzo Musetti (No.7)

The Italian, a semi-finalist at Wimbledon last year and at the French Open last month, was bundled out on Court Two by Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.

Musetti, who hadn’t played since a leg injury forced him to stop at Roland-Garros, never looked settled against the world No.126.

“Really bad day at the office, I came here at the last minute and of course I didn’t have much good feelings with my game and honestly the physical side and energy and whatever it takes to play a match like this,” Musetti said.

“I was struggling to feel comfortable on the court from the beginning, I was really losing focus and was not really reactive on the ball. Today felt like I had never played on this surface.”

Holger Rune (No.8)

Denmark’s Rune squandered a two-set lead against Nicolas Jarry to ultimately succumb to the Chilean qualifier 4-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4. The 22-year-old attributed his performance to the blazing heat and a knee injury, which he was treated for in the fourth set. “I mean, if I play normal, I’m beating him nine out of 10 times, with all respect for Nicolas Jarry,” Rune told reporters. “Fourth set, I started to feel my knee and then got some treatment. Never was able to serve and hit my backhand as I was able to do in the first two sets.”

Daniil Medvedev (No.9)

Former world No.1 Medvedev has lost his perfect record of reaching at least the second round at Wimbledon, brought down by France’s Benjamin Bonzi, who had not won a match on grass for three years.

Bonzi brought what he described as his “A-game” to dispatch the 2021 US Open champion 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2.

The Russian, who reached the semi-finals at the All England club the past two years, took out his frustrations on his racquet, smashing it to the ground after Bonzi had got the better of him yet again in the third set.

“I was surprised by his level ... there was not much I could do better,” Medvedev told reporters.

“Every shot that I played today, even good shots, he had an answer. Today, he barely missed. When you’re on fire, everything goes in. Whatever I did on the court, it was not bothering him too much. Everything he did was tough for me to play. I fought. I tried.”

A beaming Bonzi told the crowd: “This is special for me today. This is my first top 10 win at a slam. I love this place ... I had nothing to lose and I played my A-game.”

Paula Badosa (No.9)

A rollercoaster match against Briton’s Katie Boulter – the fiancee of Australian Alex de Minaur – ended with the Spaniard losing 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 to the delight of the home crowd.

“Centre Court Wimbledon, as a Brit, against a top-10 player, for me doesn’t get that much better,” Boulter said. “It is one of the reasons why I do play tennis, to win matches like that, and to have a go at the best in the world.

“I do feel like it is one of the best [wins] for sure in my career.”

Katie Boulter took down No.9 seed Paula Badosa.

The rest

Other seeds who failed to make it past the first round included Czech No.15 Karolina Muchova, Argentine No.16 Francisco Cerundolo and French No.18 Ugo Humbert.

World No.24 Stefanos Tsitsipas was forced to retire because of a back injury, while No.25 Magdalena Frech was upset by 18-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko who had lost in qualifying and only got into the field when another player withdrew.

No.20 Alexei Popyrin, No.20 Jelena Ostapenko, No.26 Marta Kostyuk, No.27 Denis Shapovalov, No.27 Magda Linette, No.28 Alexander Bublik, No.30 Alex Michelsen, No.31 Tallon Griekspoor, No.32 McCartney Kessler and No.32 Matteo Berrettini also did not reach the second round.

With Reuters, AP

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