Wimbledon Day 1 Recap: Upsets and Retirements Wreak Havoc

Talk about a way to start off a Slam.

Wimbledon Day 1 certainly started off with a bang as the tournament said farewell to several top-ranked seeds in both the men's and women's draws. A mixture of retirements and upsets continued throughout the day as play kicked off the start to the Championships.

The men's draw saw their fair share of upsets while the women's draw faced fewer shocks, although there were several close calls on both sides that contributed to the excitement surrounding opening day.

Benjamin Bonzi Upsets Daniil Medvedev

Two-time Wimbledon semifinalist Daniil Medvedev fell to Benjamin Bonzi 7-6, 3-6, 7-6, 6-2 in one of the biggest upsets of Day 1. The loss marks the Russian's first time missing the second round in all seven of his Wimbledon appearances.

Bonzi entered the match with a six-match losing streak on grass courts. It didn't prove to be a hindrance for the Frenchman as he held his nerve against the ninth seed, rallying back from a set down to take the match in four.

Bonzi took the first set after winning a tiebreak; however, Medvedev took the second set with more attack, needing one break of serve to clinch the set. It wasn't enough in the long run as he was left searching for answers in the face of Bonzi's intensity, who dictated a majority of the play in the last two sets by running Medvedev all over the baseline.

"I was surprised by his level," Medvedev said. "I know that he can play well... but I would be surprised if you guys find a match of him playing like this any other match this year, so I'm surprised he did it today. But it can happen, and that's when sensations happen."

Medvedev has yet to make a breakthrough this year at the Grand Slam level, losing in the second round in the Australian Open and the first round in the French.

Sonay Kartal Upsets Jelena Ostapenko

Sonay Kartal took revenge just six days after losing to Jelena Ostapenko in the first round of the Lexus Eastbourne Open. The hometown hero defeated Ostapenko 7-5, 2-6, 6-2 in a stunning display of resilience under the rare London sun.

It's the biggest win of the young Brit's career. Kartal came back from three set points down at 5-3 in the opening set to win the next four games to take the set. Ostapenko rallied back in dominant fashion during the second, breaking Kartal twice while holding her own against the Brit's intensive baseline play.

Kartal easily surged ahead in the final set, winning three straight breaks to lead 5-0. It was touch-and-go after she fell to some of her nerves serving for a bagel; however, she closed out the set 6-2 for her second top-20 victory.

"That was by far one of the toughest matches I've played," Kartal said following the match. "I'd say I struggle against the big hitters, so to be able to get that win after she beat me easily last week."

Kartal is now ranked World No. 51 in the WTA live rankings.

Nicolás Jarry Upsets Holger Rune

Battling from two sets to love down, Nicolás Jarry dug deep to edge out a 4-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 win against eighth seed Holger Rune. This is the first time Jarry has won a five-set match in his entire career.

The Dane took a fairly easy lead early on, leading the first set 4-0 while Jarry struggled to find his footing. Rune capitalized on Jarry's early insecurities, keeping his baseline play consistent as he broke Jarry at 4-3 in the second set and fending off a break point of his own before securing the set.

With nothing to lose by the third set, it seemed Jarry kicked into a fourth gear as he held onto the last few games, breaking Rune late to take the third 7-5. The World No. 8 was struggling by that time, quickly falling to 0-3 in the fourth. He eventually called for a trainer at 2-5, which ended with a wrap around his knee.

Rune lacked all momentum following his injury, losing the fourth set but attempting to put up a fight in the fifth. It wasn't enough, and Jarry completed a massive comeback win that is sure to boost his confidence following a tough year on tour.

"I'm very happy for today," Jarry said during his on-court interview. "It was a tough start of the match. But at the end, I was able to play the game that I was playing since the qualifying. Happy to gain that, to overcome all the bad thoughts in my head, all the demons."

Katie Boulter Upsets Paula Badosa

Centre Court had its fair share of action on opening day as Katie Boulter toppled ninth seed Paul Badosa 6-2, 3-6, 6-4. Boulter earns her fourth top-10 victory while securing her spot in the second round in front of her home crowd.

While Boulter has had her ups and downs over her years on tour, Wimbledon is known to bring out her best tennis. That was on display during her hard-fought victory last night with impeccable serving and unmatched determination. She made 82% of her first serves in her first six games, controlling play at the baseline to take the first set 6-2.

She fell apart a bit at the beginning of the second set, allowing Badosa to take an easy break after hitting three double faults at 1-2. Badosa took advantage of a slightly put-out Boulter, forcing her into uncomfortable rallies that ended up with the Brit making multiple unforced errors.

The two traded breaks in their opening service games in the third set, easily holding their serve after that. It wasn't until 5-4 that Boulter managed to earn a breakthrough, breaking Badosa's serve to finish off a nearly two-hour match.

"I've played a lot of matches recently where I've started out great and then kind of let it slip," Boulter said. "I actually played one at Queens, which hurt me a lot. I just tried to compete today, fight, hope for the best, hope she missed, and just kept pushing myself to be positive and go after the ball and make it happen. And today, it actually happened."

Stefanos Tsitsipas, Ons Jabeur Retire

It was a less-than-glamorous day for Stefanos Tsitsipas and Ons Jabeur, who were both forced to retire with injuries.

Tsitsipas retired against Valentin Royer with a back issue after trailing 3-6, 2-6. The Greek struggled to move across court, unable to serve his first serve and letting some of Royer's shots go unanswered. He received a medical timeout for his discomfort, and he withdrew from the match shortly after.

"It's tough to describe. I'm battling many wars these days," Tsitsipas said following his retirement. "It's really painful to see myself in a situation like this."

Jabeur endured a similar situation, losing a tight first set 7-6 (5) to Viktoriya Tomova before falling behind in the second. She called for a medical timeout during the first set, but it was quickly clear she couldn't continue playing the second. In a heartbreaking moment, the two-time Wimbledon finalist sobbed into her towel.

Both Tsitsipas and Jabeur are no strangers to playing at the top, both two-time and three-time Grand Slam finalists, respectively.

However, both have had falling outs in the rankings, injuries leaving them sidelined in 2025. Tsitsipas has struggled with a back injury since the 2023 ATP Tour Finals, while Jabeur ended her 2024 season early to heal from a shoulder injury.

Day 2 at Wimbledon is already underway. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Serve On SI for all of your tennis news from the court and beyond.

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