French Open winner Alexander Zverev just managed to scrape through 21-year-old Alexander Blocxx in a two-set tie-breaker
Fourth seed Ben Shelton lost to Qualifier Otto Virtanen in a 4 hour 21 minutes long five-set battle
Francisco Cerundolo, known for ability to play well on grass courts, also suffered a straight-sets defeat to Jaume Munar
Wimbledon 2026: Who Won Yesterday In Gentlemen's Singles Matches On Day 2?
Wimbledon 2026 Day 2 Review: Here's everything that happened on the opening day of the Championships in the Gentlemen's Singles event, including Alexander Zverev's hard-fought win, top seeds who were eliminated, key results and all the major highlights you need to know
Summary
Just like the opening day, Day 2 of Wimbledon 2026 also delivered close contests, marathon sets, and a few shocking results. While most of the top seeds in the men's singles draw managed to scrape through, the biggest surprise came when qualifier Otto Virtanen stunned fourth seed Ben Shelton in a thrilling five-set battle, saving a match point to seal the biggest victory of his career so far.
Francisco Cerundolo, known for his prowess on grass courts, also suffered a straight-sets defeat to Jaume Munar in a result that caught many by surprise.
Meanwhile, Alexander Zverev, who recently lifted his maiden Grand Slam title at the French Open, was pushed to the limit by debutant Alexander Blockx on Centre Court, while Matteo Berrettini found himself in a tense four-set encounter packed with tie-breakers.
Otto Virtanen (Q) Beat Ben Shelton [4] 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(8), 6-2, 7-6(11-9)
In a grueling battle that lasted four hours and 21 minutes, Qualifier Otto Virtanen got the better of fourth seed Ben Shelton in a hard-fought five-set match. The 140-ranked Qualifier saved a match point in the final tie-break set to win by 11-9 and script a memorable win.
Virtanen managed to save 11 of 12 break points and optimized his great grass form to topple the World No.4. The Finnish Qualifier showed great character and mental resolve to get over errors and some cheap serves to outbattle one of the World's best in a five-set long battle.
Alexander Zverev [2] Beat Alexander Blockx 6-4, 6-7(8), 7-6(5), 7-6(0)
World No.2 Alexander Zverev had to toil hard to get past the talented 21-year-old Alexander Blocxx to reach the next round. In a match where serve dominated proceedings, Zverev displayed his class in critical moments and, despite losing the second set, maintained his composure to win the two tie-breaks and emerge victorious in a three-hour clash.
Wimbledon 2026 Round 1: Seeds Out On Day 2
Ben Shelton (4)
Francisco Cerundolo (21)
Alexander Blocxx (36)
Wimbledon 2026 Gentlemen's Singles Day 2 Key Results
Alexander Zverev (2) Beat Alexander Blockx 6-4, 6-7(8), 7-6(5), 7-6(0)
Matteo Berrettini beat Stan Wawrinka (WC) 6-7(7), 7-6(16), 7-6(7), 7-6(5)
Otto Virtanen (Q) beat Ben Shelton [4] 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(8), 6-2, 7-6(11-9)
Taylor Fritz [6] beat Dusan Lajovic (LL) 6-3, 6-4, 6-3
Zizou Bergs beat Ugo Humbert [27] 6-2, 7-5, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3
Alex de Minaur [5] beat Roman Andrés Burruchaga 7-6(5), 6-1, 6-0
Jakub Mensik [15] def. Toby Samuel (WC) 5-7, 6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(7)
Alexander Bublik [10] beat Thanasi Kokkinakis 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(10), 6-3, 6-4
Jaume Munar def. Francisco Cerundolo [18] 6-1, 6-4, 6-3
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