Wimbledon opens with shocks: Virtanen stuns Shelton, Snigur ousts Svitolina

Wimbledon 2026 kicks off with a pair of first-round upsets that shake the seeding: Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen outlasts fourth seed Ben Shelton 6–4, 6–7, 6–2, 7–6 in a five-set marathon, while Daria Snigur, ranked 77th, defeats eighth-seeded Elina Svitolina 5–7, 2–6. The upsets punctuate the opening day of the grass-court major, where Serena Williams makes her singles return after nearly four years away, narrowly losing to 20-year-old Maya Joint 3–6, 7–6, 6–3 in an epic three-setter on Centre Court. Williams received a standing ovation as she walked out, but despite serving at 120mph, her movement proved a struggle in the defeat. Defending champion Iga Swiatek advances past Taylor Townsend 6–1, 2–6, 6–3, though she was emotional after the win. Among other first-round results, Alex de Minaur beats Roman Andres Burruchaga in straight sets, Taylor Fritz advances in dominant fashion, and Amanda Anisimova, last year's finalist, defeats Gjorcheska 6–3, 6–2. Alexander Zverev progresses despite managing his grass allergy with pills. On the British front, Katie Swan becomes the first Briton to reach the second round, though 15 home players lose in the first round overall, prompting fresh questions about the state of British tennis. Grigor Dimitrov makes a winning return to the tournament 12 months after suffering one of the most devastating nights of his career. Both the men's and women's draws continue into the second round this week.